Drive Fast Kiss Slow
by LadyWhiteKoiFish
Summary: Right after Brian and Mia rescue Dom, an old enemy of Dom's is released from Lompoc and wants revenge, so he kidnaps Brian. Now, Dom is forced to play a deadly game in order to save Brian. Dom/Brian slash.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N****: Um, don't know exactly what it was Dom used to call Brian, was it a Buster? Or how long exactly Dom was in Lompoc, so just use your imagination and go along with me, alright? Or if you do know please let me know, please. This story takes place right after the forth movie and ignores the fifth.**

**Disclaimer****: I own nothing, but the plot. Characters and such and such all belong to their rightful owners and creators, and anyone else I'm leaving out.**

**Warnings****: SLASH. Dom/Brian SLASH. Violence. **

**Rated****: M for mature content and eventual slash in later chapters.**

**Summary****: Right after Brian and Mia rescue Dom, an old enemy of Dom's is released from Lompoc and wants revenge, so he kidnaps Brian. Now, Dom is forced to play a deadly game in order to save Brian. Dom/Brian slash.**

**ALERT:**** I may come back and edit material as needed.**

Drive Fast. Kiss Slow.

The adrenaline was starting to die out, leaving a slight buzz humming through his veins as Brian gripped the steering wheel of the Charger just a little tighter. He was feeling giddy and stupidly happy, like a small boy on Christmas morning. He looked over to the passenger seat just in time to see Dom undo the cuffs on his hands and feet. Yeah, exactly like a small boy on Christmas morning, who had just gotten everything he had asked for.

"Good to be out of those," commented Dom, throwing the chains into the back seat along with the small, tool box that Brian had given him pacifically for the purpose of removing the cuffs.

"There are some clothes in the back too," said Brian, still smiling stupidly. "We'll stop up here in a bit so you can change and ride with Mia. I know she has a lot to talk to you about, and the drive to Mexico is a long one."

Brian glanced over at Dom for a moment, and their eyes met for just a split second before they both suddenly broke out into a fit of laughter.

They had done it. They weren't sure how, but they did it. Dom looked over at a still laughing Brian and thought, _only Brian would be stupid enough to pull a stunt like this. Yep, still a buster._

The laughter died and Dom asked, "So, now what?"

"First, we head for Mexico and then Rio de Janeiro," answered Brian and Dom raised a questioning eyebrow at him. Brian just smirked before continuing. "Vince is waiting for us there."

"Ah," Dom replied, nodding his head. "But exactly how are we going to get there?"

"Don't worry about it. I got everything worked out already. Just trust me."

Dom nodded. _Why not,_ he thought. Brian had come through for him every other time before, what would be different now?_

Camille watched the news report that flashed across the TV screen with amusement. They were telling all about the incredible escape of one Dominic Toretto and that if anyone should spot him to call the police immediately. Camille laughed, scaring a few of the other patrons of the small diner he was in. He wasn't at all surprised to hear that his old friend Dom had escaped, in fact, he had almost planned for something like that to have happened.

After the picture of Dom was flashed across the screen, a picture of Brian and Mia were posted. Camille eyed them very closely. So, that was the man that had bailed Dom out of prison and kept him from getting caught a few years back.

_Interesting,_ thought Camille, _if I had someone like that on my team, someone that willing to give up his whole life for me in a split second, I'd be a little reluctant to let him go. And what a pretty sister Dom has. It would be such a shame if anything were to happen to either of them. And I'm sure Dom would not like that. Not at all._

The smile that spread across Camille's face could only be described as maniacal and it effectively scared away anyone within ten feet of him. But Camille paid no heed to the people who gave him a wide berth, too absorbed in memorizing the picture of one Brian O'Connor. And when the TV screen changed to some commercial about earwax removal Camille turned his attention to the young, punk waitress of the diner.

"Check," he called to the pigtailed girl with too much black eye-shadow and a large silver nose ring. She looked, annoyed, over at him before ripping off a piece of paper from her note pad and placing it in front of him.

"Cash," she told him and continued when Camille gave her a questioning look. "You don't look like the type of man who can be trusted."

One, short man with a balding head who sat a few seats down from Camille looked shocked and fearful, thinking that the young girl had just signed her death certificate.

Camille and the girl said nothing for a moment, each just staring the other down before Camille broke out in laughter and pulled out his wallet and handed the girl two twenties. "Keep the change Doll Face."

The girl looked surprised as she took the money from Camille. "Thanks," she replied, smiling at Camille for the first time.

"Your welcome and you're right, I'm not a man who can be trusted." And with that Camille stood and left the diner, leaving its patrons baffled by his statement. Would they have believed that today was his first day out of jail in twelve years? From the way they kept eyeballing him, probably.

Dom glanced back in the review mirror every couple of minutes, making sure the little Honda NSX was still behind him.

"He's not going anywhere," commented Mia from beside her brother as she rolled her eyes at him.

"What?" Asked Dom. Turning his attention to his little sister who was seated in the passenger seat of the Charger. When they had stopped at a little, rinky-dink gas station to refuel, Brian had tossed Dom the keys to the Charger and switched rides with Mia. Brian knew that Dom and his sister needed some time by themselves to talk.

Mia rolled her eyes at her brother again. "Brian's not going anywhere."

"Who said I was worried that he'd go anywhere?" Mia just gave Dom a 'you're joking, right?' look. Dom sighed in defeat. There was no fooling his sister. "Guess I'm just worried about the buster that's all."

"Yeah," replied Mia, softly. "He was worried about you too. He spent every minute planning your escape. And fixing the Charger. I swear, I don't think I saw him sleep more than twenty minutes at a time."

"Buster was always hyperactive," commented Dom, but his face was stern, like he was concentrating very hard on something.

"Yeah, that's Brian in a nutshell," laughed Mia, settling back in her seat and getting comfortable. "He told me that he wouldn't rest until we got you out."

"Thanks."

"No need to thank me. I'm your sister. I did it just because I love you. It's Brian you need to thank. He pulled all sorts of strings to get this to work. I don't even know how he got us all fake passports."

Dom looked surprised. He hadn't known Brian had friends who could do that, nor that he had got them all fake passports. "He got us passports?" Asked Dom.

"Yeah," replied Mia, pulling out her side bag and digging in it. "Didn't Brian tell you?"

No, he hadn't. He had just told Dom to trust him and he did. When had he become so complacent? When did he start trusting Brian so much that he would leave not only his life, but also the life of his sister in his hands?

Mia pulled out the passports from her purse as she smiled up at Dom. "So, how does it feel to be a free man, Mister Dominic Bellini?" Asked Mia.

"Bellini? Seriously? Who picked the name?"

"Brian and I. Well, Brian suggested it and I liked the way it sounded. Mia Bellini."

Dom hummed in thought, mulled over the word, letting it roll over his tongue a few times. "Well, it's not atrocious. I guess I could get used to it. But what name did Brian pick for himself?"

"Brian Spencer. He decided to go with something simple and common, but not at common as Smith or Jones."

"And definitely not Spilner."

Mia laughed and it made Dom smile to see her happy and laughing. God, how he missed seeing her happy.

"He's a good man," Dom finally stated after awhile. "The kind of man I could entrust my family to." Taking his eyes off the road for a moment, he turned and stared Mia in the eye, seeing her smile disappear and her eyes cut downward.

"Yeah, he is a good man. Reminds me a little bit of you, actually."

"Mia, what's wrong? Did he do something to hurt you? 'Cause, I swear to God-," stated Dom, furiously.

"No! No! Brian would never!" Cut in Mia before Dom could finish. Dom felt his anger vanish, replaced with relief. His hands released their death grip on the steering wheel and Dom wondered, idly, when they had done that. "It's just..." Dom waited patiently, knowing that when Mia was ready she'd tell him. "Oh, I don't know. I think the fire, or whatever was between us is gone. I don't know how to explain it. It's like we're not as close as we used to be."

"Give him some time. You said so yourself that he hasn't been sleeping a lot lately. He's probably just tired and has a lot of things on his mind. Once we get out of the states he'll be back to his old self and you two back to whatever it was you were," replied Dom, teasingly. "Just wait."

"You're probably right," conceded Mia, but her eyes spoke differently.

Just then the walkie-talkie on the dash sputtered and hissed before an amused voice came over the line. "You guys are talking trash about me aren't you?" Asked Brian, playfully.

Dom smiled as Mia watched him pick up the walkie-talkie off the dash, bring it close to his mouth, and press the small, black button on the side. "Yeah, how'd you know, Goblin?" Teased Dom.

"I could hear you guys from way back here."

"I don't doubt it with those satellite dishes on the sides of your head you call ears."

"Hey! These satellite dishes are the reason I've been able to stay out of jail for so long! And if you had them, perhaps you wouldn't keep going back to jail."

"If I had a choice between those elephant ears and jail again. I'd take jail," laughed Dom.

Mia sat quietly in the passenger's seat, just watching the exchange between the two men. And it warmed her heart to see them both (well, see one at least. Hear the other.) so happy after such a long time of being depressed. She was happy that her family was back together again.

_Just like it should be,_ she thought to herself.

But she also knew that nothing would ever be the same again. No. Something had changed between them all. Dom was wrong, Brian and she could never go back to being whatever they had been, but they could still be a family. She loved Brian and he loved her, but no longer in a romantic sense. And as she sat there listening to the boys' playful banter, she realized what had changed among them. Or, perhaps, not changed, but became revealed.

Camille sat quietly in his motel room, looking over various documents that lay out in front of him on the bed when there was a knock at his door.

"Who's there?" Asked Camille with a bored tone.

"It's us Mister Petrov. We have the information you wanted," said a voice on the other side of Camille's door.

Camille stood quickly and walked the two strides it took to reach the door and unlocked it. Opening the door, Camille was greeted by the sight of two rather rough looking men, one standing at about six feet tall, with a lazy eye, and the other a couple of inches shorter than his friend. Camille moved to allow the two men in and noticed the manila envelope the taller one had in his grasp.

The two men squeezed by Camille and allowed him to close the door behind them before speaking. "The info you wanted," stated the tall fellow as he handed the envelope to Camille.

"Yes," happily chimed Camille as he undid the clasp and pulled out the papers that were inside it.

The taller of the two men cleared his throat to catch Camille's attention. "We know the boss holds you in high regards. I mean, you were one of his best drug smugglers and you were completely loyal to him even while in prison. But we don't know you personally. So we don't trust you that much."

"Of course. I understand," replied Camille walking over to his duffle bag that lay on the floor next to his bed. After digging in it for a moment, Camille pulled out a roll of bills. He looked over the wad of cash for a moment before tossing it over to the tall man. "There you are. Split it among the two of you. Now leave."

The man caught the money easily. He eyed it for a second before nodding to his friend and then they left. Once Camille was left alone in his room once more, he slid out the papers in the envelope and read over them quickly.

On the first piece of paper, clipped to the top right hand corner, was a picture of Dom. On the next paper was a picture of Mia clipped to it. And, finally, on the last one was a picture of Brian. Camille smiled wickedly.

"Dominic Bellini," Camille said aloud, searing the name to memory. "Mia Bellini," he continued, flipping through the papers. "And Brian Spencer. You're all heading for Mexico, huh? How unfortunate that you're all going to run into some trouble on the way."

**A/N: So, there it is the first chapter of Drive Fast. Kiss Slow. What do you think? Wait! Don't answer that just yet. Please read chapter two and then let me know if this story is worth continuing. Thanks.**

**Spot any grammar mistakes let me know, so that I can learn and grow.**

**Dig Out: Accelerate quickly.**

**Blower: An engine with a supercharger. Superchargers are installed on an automobile to increase the engine's output, resulting in a faster vehicle. A Supercharge increases the mass of air entering the engine, thereby increasing horsepower and torque. **

**Haze the Hides: To spin and smoke the rear tires.**

**Huffer: Supercharger.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Chapter Two, posted with chapter one. This is where it starts getting more interesting.**

**Warnings: Same old, same old, SLASH. **

Chapter Two 

The drive felt longer than what it probably was, but when you spend every other minute looking over your shoulder to make sure the cops weren't about to sneak up and ambush you, it makes time seem to move slower.

Dom looked over to the passenger seat of the Charger to see a sleeping Brian. A while back Mia stated that she wanted to switch back with Brian, when Dom asked why she said that he and Brian had some things to talk about and something about Dom's horrible taste in music, which Dom found odd since the radio wasn't even on.

But when they stopped to refuel again just south of the Mexican borderline, Mia switched cars with Brian, and Tego and Rico switched drivers.

Night was approaching fast and Dom could feel his own weariness sinking in. After the adrenaline rush that was this morning, Dom was surprised that he hadn't already fallen asleep while driving. But he was even more surprised that Brian hadn't. Mia said he hadn't been sleeping much lately and now that Dom looked closer at Brian, he could tell that that was the truth. Brian looked thin, his eyes sunken a bit with dark, heavy bags under them. How had he not noticed them earlier? But behind that weariness, Brian looked older, more mature. The years had done him good.

Just as Dom turned his attention from the road back to Brian, Brian's eyes slowly fluttered open and Dom was greeted to the sight of brilliant, bright, blue eyes. He realized then why he hadn't noticed Brian's weariness before. His eyes outshined every other feature he had.

"Hey," yawned Brian, stretching and popping his back as best he could. "Where are we?"

"About half way to Ensenada," replied Dom.

"Oh. Okay. You want me to drive? You look tired."

"No," replied Dom, offhandedly.

"You sure?" Questioned Brian again.

"Yeah. Besides it's only a little ways till we get to Ensenada, then we can get motel rooms there."

"Okay," replied Brian, yawning again.

"You look tired Dude."

"Yeah. Haven't slept much since I realized there was no way in hell that judge was gonna let you go even when I asked for clemency. Was too busy making plans," replied Brian, shifting in his seat and tugging his jacket tighter around himself.

Dom saw the motion from the corner of his eye and asked, "Cold?"

"No, just trying to get comfy, which is hard to do in here. Don't get me wrong, it's a sweet ride, but not much in the whole room department."

"It was built for speed, not comfort. Besides, once we get to Ensenada we'll get motel rooms and spend the night. But only stay a couple of hours, to get some sleep. Can't have everyone dozing off at the wheel while on the run from the feds."

"Amen to that Brother."

"Mia gets her own room and you stay with me. Where I can keep an eye on you all night," stated Dom, sending a glare toward Brian. Brian just huffed out a laugh.

"Don't worry. I won't try anything. I've already been on the receiving end of your wrath and rather not be on it again," replied Brian.

"Good."

And that was the end of the conversation for a long while, a kind of calm silence spread over them, until Brian asked what was plaguing both their minds.

"So…" started Brian. "Did you and Mia really talk about me?"

"Yeah," replied Dom, coolly.

"Did she say anything about _us_? Me and her, I mean."

"Yeah."

"Um… Anything you want to share?"

"Yeah. Mia says you've been distant. What's up, Man?"

"Distant? No. I mean, we've been busy, but I didn't know she thought I was neglecting her."

"She didn't say you were neglecting her, she said…" Dom's brow furrowed in irritation as he thought of how to phrase what he wanted to say, without actually repeating what Mia had said. Nothing came. Dom sighed heavily in defeat and forced out the words that Mia had spoken to him. "That the fire between you two had died or something."

"Fire between us?" Dom spared a sideways glance toward Brian and saw that he looked just as confused as he sounded. "I didn't mean to make her feel… Bad? I've been busy, you know?"

"I understand Dude. I was just repeating what Mia told me," Dom reassured Brian. "And I told her that after we get to Rio de Janeiro and you get some rest the… Fire? Between you guys will rekindle itself or whatever the heck love fires do." Brian giggled and Dom was surprised by that sound. It was so girly… and so cute.

"Love fires?" Brian giggled some more before it turned into a full out laughing fit.

"Oh, shut up," stated Dom, but a smile spread across his face even as he tried to sound annoyed. _

The motel they picked for their hideout was a rinky-dink, little thing, way on the other side of town and just on its outskirt. They had paid for three rooms, but had all ended up in Brian and Dom's room.

"So, we leave at first light and refuel before heading over to Cumpas," stated Brian, pointing to a map he had spread out in front of him. "We'll only stop to refuel and sleep on the side of the road until we get there. Once in Cumpas, I have a friend who is going to hook us up with everything we're going to need. Money, clothes, food, the basics. After that I say we travel on the coastline all the way to Rio de Janeiro."

Rico and Tego looked from the map to each other and then started bickering between each other in Spanish. Dom rolled his eyes at the two of them. Did they ever stop fighting? It was like they were an old, married couple.

"That's a long drive," stated Dom, looking at the map.

"Yeah, but what other choice do we have?" Asked Brian.

"I don't know if the cars can make it over that terrain."

"Yeah, I thought of that. That's why my friend in Cumpas is willing to make a trade. He's got some modified Jeeps and stuff he's willing to trade with."

"You really did think of everything, huh?"

"Pretty much," interjected Mia before Brian could even open his mouth. "What do we do if we get split up on our way to Cumpas?" She asked turning her attention to Brian. Rico and Tego stopped their bickering and also turned to Brian.

"We'll all meet back up at my friend's garage in Cumpas. It's called Roberto Iglesias's Auto Repair Shop. Roberto's an old friend of mine who owed me a few favors," Brian answered with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes and a sly smirk pulling at the corners of his lips.

_It would seem that the years with the FBI had perfected his criminal antics,_ thought Dom, laughing a little at his own thoughts.

"Alright, I think we should all get something to eat and then head off to bed. We're gonna have a long day tomorrow," said Dom, opening the door and ushering Rico and Tego out and waiting for Brian to put up the maps and such. Mia walked over to her brother before turning to make sure Brian was busy putting away the maps before she whispered in her brother's ear.

"Could you give us some time alone," she asked. "I wanna talk to him." Her eyes motioned towards Brian who was walking toward them.

"Okay," said Brian, happily. "So, we ready to get something to eat?"

"Uh, yeah," replied Dom as he tried to think of an excuse to excuse himself from their company. "Hey, you know what? I think I'm gonna take a shower before I eat. So why don't you two go ahead without me. I'll catch up with you guys later."

"You sure?" Asked Brian, suddenly looking like a kicked puppy. The look was not missed by Mia, nor did she miss the 'I'm sorry' look her brother was trying to keep so hard under wraps.

"Yeah, yeah. You two go ahead. Okay?"

"Alright," replied Brian as he turned to Mia and they left.

Dom watched them go before shutting the door and locking it behind himself. He let out a heavy sigh as he walked over to a duffle bag Mia had brought him and pulled out some fresh clothes. He might as well take a shower now. _

Mia walked closely next to Brian as they headed down the street looking for places to eat. They had actually found plenty of places to eat, but neither had said a word, so they just kept walking. Brian could tell something lay heavy on Mia's mind, but couldn't quite get up the nerve to ask her what it was.

"Brian," Mia finally said, breaking the silence. "How do you feel about me and my brother?"

"What kind of question is that?" Asked Brian, stopping to turn and stare down at her. She paused in her step and turned toward him too. "You know I'd do anything for the both of you."

"I know that. You've already proven that, but…" Mia paused and adverted her eyes to the sidewalk.

"What?" Asked Brian, softly, lightly gripping her chin and turning her head to look up at him. "Mia, what's wrong? Please tell me."

"How long have you been in love with Dom?"

"What!" Brian recoiled and stared down at Mia in shock.

"I don't mind. I mean, yeah it hurt at first, but that doesn't mean I don't still love you. In a sisterly way," continued Mia, completely ignoring Brian's shocked expression. "And I think he might like you too." Brian continued to just stand there and gape at her, too stunned to say anything. "I mean, he hasn't been happy since Letty's death. But then today I saw him for the first time, in a longer time than I care to think about, smile. And you know what he was doing when he smiled? He was talking to you. And I noticed that whenever you're around him he seems to just be happier, and so do you whenever you're around him."

Brian couldn't seem to do anything except gape like a fish out of water. What did one say in a situation like this? I'm not gay, would be a good start. But the fact of the matter was that Brian was bisexual. Sure, he hadn't been with a guy since high school and never really looked at another guy since, but that didn't mean he liked Dom. Even if he did give up his whole life for the man, twice, and really was happiest around him. And hated to see him sad. And the thought of him going back to jail terrified him just as much as it did Dom. Just because he did more for this man than he had ever did for anyone else in his entire life didn't mean he liked him, right? Now that Mia said something about it, he wasn't so sure.

"Mia, I…" Brian's mouth opened and his lips moved, but no words would seem to form. Mia just smiled up at him. It was a sad but understanding smile.

"It's okay, Brian," she reassured Brian as she reached up and placed her delicate, smooth hand on his cheek and slowly stroked it with her thumb. "I understand. And I won't tell Dom."

Brian closed his mouth and placed his hand over Mia's smaller one on his cheek. He was about to say something when something odd caught his eye. Two men were approaching them from behind Mia. They were big men and most definitely not of a Spanish heritage. Brian quickly grabbed Mia and pulled her close to him, nuzzling her neck.

"Behind you there are two men approaching us," whispered Brian and he could feel Mia tense up. "Is there anyone behind me?"

Mia looked calmly and sure enough there was a big man with a lazy eye coming at Brian and her from behind Brian. She turned her face and placed a gentle kiss to Brian's ear to conceal what she was telling him. "Yes," she whispered against his ear. "He looks like a Russian and he has a lazy eye."

Brian nodded before twirling them and bending to kiss Mia on the lips. He stopped short of her lips and whispered, "Get Dom and then get out of here. I'll keep them busy."

They were getting closer now and even though Mia hated leaving Brian alone to fight three brutes all by himself, what else could she do? The men were only a few feet away from them now.

"Can we help you gentlemen?" Brian asked coyly. The Russian man with the lazy eye quickly signaled to the other two before they all charged at them. Brian spun and pushed Mia through a gap between the men and she took off in a dead run back toward the motel. The big Russian with the lazy eye turned and started to go after her, but Brian charged at him and jumped on his back.

The man was just as big as Dom, but a few inches taller and twice as vicious when angry. The man barely stumbled when Brian jumped on his back, but when Brian started punching his good eye he started angrily yelling in Russian. His two friends immediately rushed to his aid, trying to pull Brian off and getting in a punch or two here and there.

Brian kicked, yelled, punched, and bit as four pairs of hands pulled him off the big Russian. Someone hit Brian on the back of the head, momentarily stunning him and causing him to stop his thrashing as the two other men pinned him down. The Russian with the lazy eye turned around to stare angrily at Brian, and Brian could see that the eye he had been punching was starting to swell and turn red. He felt some smug satisfaction over that fact, even if he was about to get beaten to death.

"What about the girl? Should we go after her?" Asked one of the men to the Russian with the lazy eye. Brian's anger flared up again and he started thrashing about some more. He couldn't take them all, but maybe he could distract them long enough for Mia and Dom to get out of there.

The Russian with the lazy eye, who Brian discerned was the leader, wiped his bloody nose with the back of his hand as he shook his head. "No," he stated. "Too late now to get her. By now she's already found her brother. This one will have to do." Brian felt a prickling of ice run up his spine. Weren't these guys feds, wanting to arrest them? A big, fat 'no' seemed to resonate through Brian's head. "Just tie him up and put him in the car."

The two men did as their leader had told them, and Brian could only watch as the big Russian walked off in the other direction.

_Please,_ silently begged Brian, _please let Dom and Mia be safe. Please, just let them get away. ____

Dom finished washing off the soap from his body and stepped out of the shower. He now wasn't regretting his decision to shower before he ate. A hot shower had done wonders on his tense muscles and for the fatigue he felt.

He dried off quickly and slipped into the clothes that Mia had brought him. He walked over to the nightstand that sat between the two beds of the room and picked up his room key off it. He was about to leave when out of the corner of his eye he spotted something. Brian's own duffle bag lay haphazardly next to his bed, papers and maps scrappily shoved inside it.

An endearing smile spread across Dom's face as he thought about his blue eyed angel. And then he laughed at the thought. Brian, a blue eyed angel? More like a devil. Or maybe a little of both. He sure as heck could be a devil when he wanted to be, but more often than not he was Dom's guardian angel. Dom realized that he probably owed Brian more than he could ever repay. Did Brian even know what he had done for Dom? Probably not. But what he did was give Dom everything he ever wanted, at the cost of everything he ever wanted. What kind of man did that for someone else? A good man, a voice whispered in the back of his mind.

_Somehow the Buster weaseled his way into my family, conned his way into my heart, and now is stuck there forever,_ thought Dom, laughing to himself.

"Stupid blue eyed angel," muttered Dom, placing the room key in his pant's pocket before heading for the door.

But just as Dom exited the room a frantic and terrified Mia came rushing down the hallway and screamed her brother's name. Dom turned, senses on full alert, body tensed to attack anything that came near his baby sister.

"Mia, what is it! Are you hurt!" Asked Dom rushing towards his sister, eyes quickly darting over her to make sure she wasn't hurt before quickly scanning the room.

"It's Brian!" She cried, frantically. "Three Russians attacked us on the street. I got away, but- Brian's still back there! You have to help him Dom!"

"Where! Show me where Mia!" Ordered Dom as he gripped his sister by the shoulders. She turned out of her brother's grip and started back the way she had came, Dom hot on her heels.

_God no!_ Thought Dom with a mixture of fear and anger. _Not Brian! Not Brian! Not Now! I just got him back!_

Mia turned a corner and stopped at the main street that ran strait through town. "They were here," she cried, the beginning of tears at the corner of her eyes, she hadn't cried yet, but she was on the verge of it.

"Okay," stated Dom, looking up and down the, surprisingly, empty street. "Find Tego and Rico and get them here."

Mia nodded and ran off to find the two other men, leaving her brother alone on the deserted street.

Dom sensed that something was up. So many things were making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. One being the fact that the street was completely empty, there wasn't even a stray dog wandering about looking for scraps. It was like everyone knew something bad was about to happen and had cleared out. The second thing being something that Mia had said. She said three _Russians_ had attacked them. That didn't quite sound like FBI to Dom. And lastly, Brain, or the Russians, weren't anywhere to be seen.

As Dom scanned the street for what felt like the millionth time, something small and black caught his eye on the other side of the street. He looked again. It was a small, black duffle bag with something white taped to the top.

Cautiously, Dom approached the bag. Taped to the top of the bag was a piece of paper with the words _Dominic Bellini_ written on it in black ink. Dom's blood ran ice cold. Who was this and how did they find out Dom's alias?

Just then a black sedan sped down the street and right past Dom. The sedan stopped a few feet in front of Dom and Dom watched as the head lights glared an angry red color at him. Dom tensed again, ready to fight or ready to run, whichever he deemed necessary for this situation.

The back door flew open for a second and an angry and thrashing Brian was pushed out for a moment before he was quickly pulled back in again.

"Brian!" Dom yelled at the sight of the blonde and he charged towards the sedan, but it was too late, the car was already speeding away. Dom stopped chasing the sedan once it turned a corner and disappeared, he stood cursing in the middle of the road.

Whoever they were, they had done that purposely. They wanted Dom to know that they knew his alias, and Mia's alias, and that they had Brian. They, very literally, wanted Dom to see them take Brian. Dom decided that they were most definitely not FBI. But who the heck were they then and why did they want Brian?

Dom kicked angrily at nothing and marched back over to the duffle bag that was left for him. He ripped off the paper and opened the bag. Inside were a camcorder and a note with a key taped to it. Dom's attention immediately was drawn to the note, and he silently started to read it to himself.

_Hello Dominic Toretto, or would you prefer I called you Bellini? If you are reading this then that means I have someone you care for deeply. And if you ever want to see them alive again you'll do exactly as I say. Now, you're probably wondering who this is and why I'm doing this to you. Well, it's simple, it's because I want to make you suffer like you made me suffer all those years ago. So, play my game and you just might see your loved ones again. Don't and I kill them on the spot. Let's begin shall we? First, some ground rules._

_From the moment you read this letter, you are not allowed to leave the town you are in for twenty-four hours. And don't try anything cute, because I will know and your friends will die if you do._

_Once the twenty-four hour period is up you must cross back over into the states and travel all the way to Pasadena. Look for a place called Myke's Gym, downtown. The key you possess opens locker 204. Your next instructions will be waiting for you there._

_Come alone. If I even get a whiff of one of your 'family' as you call them. I kill your friends. _

_On this first task I give you a week time limit. If you don't get to the locker before your week is up, I kill your friends. _

_So, good luck._

_Your Friend, _

_Camille Petrov_

Dom's grip on the letter tightened until he was sure there'd be nothing left of the white paper when he unclenched his fist.

_Camille Petrov. That bastard. _Cussed Dom to himself. _He kidnaps my family. My Brian. And he has the gall to sign the letter with 'Your Friend'._

Dom heard the smacking of feet against pavement as multiple people approached him from behind. He already knew who it was.

"Dom!" Called out Mia to her brother as she ran up to him. "Dom! What is it? Did you find Brian?"

Tego and Rico raced up to stand with the siblings. "Yeah, I found him," muttered Dom, eyes staring, angrily, off in the distance. He forcibly pushed the note into Mia's hands as he pushed past her and stood in the middle of the street.

Mia scanned over the paper and gasped in horror. "Dom what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to get him."

**A/N: Okay, now you can tell me what you think. Good enough to keep writing? I'll keep writing this even if I only have one person still reading a long. So review and let me know.**

**Spot any grammar mistakes let me know so I can fix them. Thank you.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry if I got the info about the cars wrong. I'm not a car person *shrugs*. Suka - Russian. Should mean b*tch. Not sure; don't speak Russian and I got my translations off a movie and the urban dictionary. Also, I'm trying to keep the characters as in character to their actual movie counterparts as possible, but it's kind of hard especially when you don't know how they'd react in a situation like this. So, if they seem OOC to you, sorry, but that's just how I see them reacting in this kind of situation. You are entitled to your own opinions, but please be respectful of others. If you feel my story could be made better if one character did this or acted this way instead of the way I had them written, let me know, but don't be mean. I'll listen to what you have to say and I'll decide whether or not I think they really would act that way.**

**Warnings: Violence. Let's pray I can write action scenes and fighting scenes.**

**Special thanks to ****janet1982**** and ****Yamanvie** **for actually taking the time to review my story. It means a lot to me! : )**

**And to ****melissen** **for giving me some input. Also ****melissen****, if you're still reading this, I'm going to have to disappoint you a bit. The first few chapters will be where the two main characters are separated, but remember this is a hurt/comfort story** **so the last chapters will be about Dom taking care of a hurt Brian. But chapters one to… about… six (let's say) they will be separated. Call it character development, build-up, or what have you. You ever hear that saying, absence makes the heart grow fonder? Yeah, that is kind of what I was going for. Remember these are two straight, manly men who are just starting to realize that they may have feelings for one another. There are obstacles for them to over come, hardships to endure, etc. So, if you're willing to hang in there for the long haul, I'm willing to keep writing.**

Chapter Three 

The room was dimly lit and cooler than the rest of the house, and Camille sat patiently on a chair in the corner of the room, staring at his prisoner who he had tied up in the middle of the room.

Camille was kind of disappointed that his men weren't able to grab the sister too, but he expected that they'd only be able to get one of them anyways. And he was immensely happy that the one they were able to nab was Brian, however. From the moment Camille had seen his picture on the news he knew that Brian was special. How unfortunate that Dom wasn't able to figure that out. Camille smiled to himself as his prisoner stirred. Good, that meant the drugs in his system were wearing off.

Brian felt tired, extremely so. His shoulders and arms ached and his damn eyes wouldn't open for some reason. His eyelids felt heavy and his body felt limp. What was going on? The last thing he remembered was walking down some street in Mexico with Mia, when… The Russians!

Brian's eyes flew open as his memories returned to him. He was kidnapped by three Russians and they tied him up and drugged him while he was in their car. But now where was he? Brian flexed his arms only to find them restrained above his head. He was tied to the ceiling; at least, that is what he presumed. The room was too dimly lit for him to even see the ceiling.

"Are you awake now?" Asked a voice coming out from the darkness of the room. Brian felt his heart leap into his throat as he snapped his head toward the direction from where he heard the voice.

"Who's there!" Brian demanded.

Camille stepped into what little light the room had and drew closer to Brian. Brian looked the man up and down. The man stood about six feet tall, maybe six-one, was nothing but muscle with skin that was tanned and leathery looking. "My name is Camille Petrov," he said, stopping an inch or two in front of Brian. "And you are ex-FBI agent Brian O'Connor, correct?" Brian kept his mouth shut- something he learned from being a police officer -and his jaw tight. "No need to answer that. I already know it's the truth."

"What do you want?" Asked Brian, stiffly.

"Lots of things," replied Camille. "Mainly revenge on Dom for all the pain he caused me in jail." Brian's brow furrowed in confusion. Camille lowered his head to be face to face with Brian. "From the look on your face I take it Dom doesn't talk about his time in Lompoc, huh?" Brian stared up at Camille; emotions ran rampant through him until Brian wasn't even sure what he was feeling. "Do you know what kind of man your boss really is?"

"A better man than you! That much is obvious!" Spat out Brian, angrily. He refused to believe the lies this man was telling him. And really why would he believe anything he said, he was the man who kidnapped him and was holding him hostage for cripes sake!

Camille laughed, the sound deep and mocking, making Brian almost want to cringe away in fear. Almost, because if there were two things Brian O'Connor had going for him it was his stubbornness and thick-headedness.

Camille's laughter died and he was left smiling down at Brian who angrily glared up at him. "Such fire," commented Camille which only made Brian scold more. Camille chuckled at the smaller man's empty threats and curses.

"You're wasting your time," stated Brian, cockily. "You want to use me to get back at Dom, right? Well, it's not going to work. Dom won't come for me. I bet he's already halfway across the continent by now."

Camille looked surprised as he tilted his head at Brian. "Oh. So, you don't think you're important enough for him to come get you?"

"It would be suicide for him to come back into America. Not to mention, that you're probably going to kill me anyways after all this. I'm sure he realized that already. So, you tell me, why would he take such a risk to save me?" Asked Brian, his words and eyes sharp. But deep in his heart he very silently hoped that Dom would come and rescue him, but then he would chide himself for being so selfish. If there was one thing that hurt him more than being locked in that room with Camille and a thousand lashes, it was putting Dom in danger.

Camille looked at him thoughtfully. "Well if that's how you feel, I have a proposition for you then." Camille leaned down and got close enough to Brian's face that their noses almost touched. "I want you to join my crew."

"Fat chance!"

"I would take much better care of you than Dom ever did, that much I can promise you," continued Camille, ignoring Brian's little outburst. "But you don't have to answer now. I'll give you some time to think about it."

Brian glared at the man before rearing back his head and spitting in Camille's face. Camille jerked back, but said nothing. Not that he needed to, the look on his face and his tight jaw told Brian all he wanted to know. And Brian smirked.

Camille wiped the spit off his face with his shirt before turning back to Brian and back handing him so hard across the face that Brian's whole body lunged with the hit. "You'll changed your tune," stated Camille as he pulled out a rolled up rag which he then used to gag Brian with by tying it around his head. Brian cussed through the fabric of the rag and thrashed about.

Camille chuckled some more before moving into the darkness of the room and flicking on a switch which turned on a glaringly bright light over head Brian. Brian cringed at the sudden brightness and it took him a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light, but when they did he noticed that he was in a cement room with no windows and that Camille was setting up a camcorder on one side of the room.

"We're going to make a little movie for Dom," informed Camille, turning the camcorder to face Brian. "Just be a good boy and hang there, will you?"

Dom threw Brian's bag into the back of the Charger with his own and slammed the door closed before turning around to face his sister who immediately launched herself into her brother's arms and hugged him tightly. "Please save him Dom," begged Mia, her small arms wrapped tightly around her brother's neck.

"Don't worry Mia. I'll get him back," replied Dom, squeezing her tightly. Mia pulled away from Dom, keeping her arms on his shoulders.

"I know you will, just be careful too," replied Mia. "Save him and then don't ever let him go."

Dom looked at Mia in confusion. What was that supposed to mean? Mia smiled up at her confused brother before rubbing his cheek with her thumb, just like she had done to Brian the night he was kidnapped. "You'll understand later," she told him. "It's almost time for you to get going. Do you have everything you'll need?"

"I have everything I'll need, but do you have everything for yourself?" Asked Dom.

"Yeah."

"Be careful Mia. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Don't worry Dom. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can."

Dom hugged his sister one last time before walking over to Tego and Rico who were both leaning against their car, silent for once in their lives.

"**You two take care of my sister,"** said Dom in Spanish to the two men. They both nodded. **"Protect her. Make sure nothing happens to her, but also watch out for yourselves too. I'll meet you all in Rio De Janeiro when I get Brian back."**

"**Watch yourself, Brother,"** said Tego, and Rico nodded.

"**I will. You guys just watch out for each other." **

It was twenty minutes until the twenty-four hour limit was up and Dom planned on leaving here the second it was up. Dom hopped in his Charger and waited patiently as the clocked ticked down. One hand gripped the wheel while the other held the shifter. This was a race like any other, the only difference this time, was that the stakes were much, much higher.

It took a few days, but Dom finally managed to get back into the states and he drove like a madman all the way from San Diego to Pasadena. He was determined not to let another day go by before he found Myke's Gym.

He cruised downtown, eyes scanning for anything that even remotely looked like a gym, but after a half an hour of searching he wasn't having any luck.

_Where on earth is this place?_ Cursed Dom. _Okay, screw this. Plan B._

Dom pulled the Charger over and parked it on the curb, getting out he walked over to a phone booth that had a large, yellow phone book jutting out on top of it. Dom entered the phone booth and picked up the phone book. Thumbing through it he searched for Myke's Gym. He found only one gym that spelt Mike with a "Y" and under the name and number was an address. Dom ripped the page from the book and read over the address as he sprinted back to his Charger.

Dom made it to the gym and parked his car in the nearest available spot before jumping out and running into the gym. A buff man with bushy eyebrows sat lazily at the counter, flipping through a sports magazine. Upon Dom's entry the man raised a single eyebrow at him before dismissing Dom and returning his attention back to his magazine.

The key burned heavy in Dom's pocket as he searched the gym for lockers. "Can I help you?" The man behind the counter lazily drawled.

"Yeah. Where's your lockers?" Asked Dom.

"'Round back. You gotta go back out the way you came and walk to the back to get in, though."

Dom nodded and he was off again. He rounded the corner and saw a door that was propped open with a brick. He quickened his strides and entered through the door. Inside there were rows of junky, metal lockers and Dom quickly searched for his.

Each row of lockers were labeled A through C and each locker had a number written on it, starting at 100. The room was hot and poorly lit, Dom noticed as he found the row of lockers in the two hundreds.

_201, 202, 203, _Dom counted, anxiously, in his head and with every locker he passed the fear in his stomach grew tighter and tighter. _And 204._

The key in his hand felt so hot by now that he was sure that the little, metal object was branding him. Dom slid the key into the lock and turned it, hearing a small click. Dom took a deep breath and with slightly shaking hands opened the small locker.

Inside the locker were a cell phone and an SD card. Dom let out a shaky breath, relieved to have not found a piece of Brian's body inside the locker. Dom picked up the small, black cell phone and SD card and eyed them both curiously for a moment before he realized what the camcorder was for. Pocketing the two items, Dom made a mad dash back to his car, almost getting hit by another car in the process.

Dom jumped into the back seat of the Charger and dug though his bag before he found the camcorder that was left for him. Taking out the SD card from his pocket, he placed it into the camcorder and turned it on. He watched the screen flick on and the scene unfold in front of him.

"_Just be a good boy and hang there, will you?"_ Dom heard a familiar voice say as a strung up and gagged Brain was shown on the screen. Dom felt his anger rise. _"Hello, Dom,"_ continued the voice as Camille came into view._ "Remember me? Of course you do. And if you don't, then that would only end badly for your friend here."_

Camille moved and motioned toward Brian who was thrashing about like crazy, and Dom didn't doubt was trying to cuss up a storm. Camille moved toward Brian and gripped his chin tightly bringing his face closer to his own before he slowly started stroking Brian's bottom lip with his thumb. _"I can see why you value him so highly, Dom," _continued Camille, turning his attention away from Brian, who was trying to jerk his head free of Camille's grasp, and back to the camera. _"He has such pretty blue eyes."_

Dom's temper flared. How dare he touch Brian like that. No one was allowed to touch Brian like that except him. Wait. What? Obviously he meant Mia, right? Then why did he feel so jealous?

Camille released his hold on Brian and walked closer to the camera until nothing could be seen but his face. _"Now, Dom, listen closely because the next instructions are very important. Turn on the cell phone you found with the SD card and call me. I'm number one on the speed dial. From there I'll give you further instructions. But before you do that, do you want to know what Brian had to say about you?"_

Dom stared angrily at the man on the screen as Camille walked back over to Brain. Camille gripped the back of Brian's head and pulled his head back by the hair. Dom knew Brian should have cut that when he had the chance. It had been getting longer, and long hair made for great handles.

Brian let out a muffled cry of pain that had Dom's anger curling into a tight ball in the pit of his stomach. _"He said,"_ continued Camille, running the tips of his finger along Brian's exposed neck down to his collar bone, _"That you wouldn't come save him. Said that you would save your own skin and leave him here to die… Or worst."_ Dom's stomach lurched. Had Brian really thought that? And how dare Camille keep touching Brian like that. _"Isn't that right, Brian?"_ Asked Camille to Brian as he untied the gagged, but kept a firm hold on the back of Brian's head. _"Tell Dom what you told me."_

Brian panted and looked into the camera before pleading with Dom. _"Dom if you're watching this then get out of there! Get out of the states! Run for your life! Don't worry about me! Just run!"_

Camille retied the gag in place on Brian and released him. _"So, what will it be Dom? Run or play my game?"_

Camille walked off screen and the last thing Dom saw before the screen went black was Brian's pleading and aching eyes. And God did that hurt him more than any physical pain he had ever endured.

Dom moved to the front seat of his car and placed the camcorder in the passenger seat. He dug into his pocket and pulled out the black cell phone. Really, there was no choice to be made here. For Brian he'd give up anything. Dom was beginning to understand what Mia had meant when she said for Dom to rescue Brian and never let him go.

Turning on the phone, Dom leaned back in his seat and pressed the number one on the phone. He placed the phone flush against his ear and waited patiently, listening to the ring back tone.

"Hello, Dom," greeted a voice that would now forever haunt Dom.

"Hello, Camille. I'm here. So what do you want?" Dom said, flatly.

"To play a game. Winner gets your… Suka." Dom could practically hear Camille smirking.

"Why don't you just come face me yourself? You don't have anything against Brian. And now that you have my attention, why don't you just meet me somewhere and we can finish this. Just you and me. Unless, of course, you don't think you can take me," taunted Dom.

Camille laughed. "All in good time my friend. But first I want to make you suffer." Dom felt his blood turn to ice water and his mouth go dry. "I bet it's just killing you not knowing what I'm doing to him, huh?" Dom had to stop himself from gripping the phone too tightly and breaking the little device. "Well, if you can find me and win the game, you can ask Brian all about the things I did to him."

"What are your next instructions?" Dom ground out through clenched teeth.

"Good, so you'll play?" Camille chuckled before continuing. "Go to Billy and Molly's Diner, across town. There's a lovely lady who works there, some of the time, named Malinda. And she has something for you with clues to where I'm hiding with Brian. Good luck."

"Wait! I want to talk to Brian and see if he's okay."

"Of course." Dom heard some shuffling and what sounded like someone running sand paper across the phone.

"Dom?" Asked a shaky voice, and Dom didn't know if he was just projecting his feeling unto Brian, but he could have sworn to hearing a bit of hope in his voice too.

"Yeah, Brian, it's me," replied Dom, relief washing over him.

"Stupid," said Brian and Dom noticed that he sounded hoarse and tired. What was Camille doing to him? "Get out of the U.S. while you still have the chance!"

"Shut up Brian! I'm coming to save you and there's nothing you can say to change that!"

The phone was quickly pulled away from Brian and Camille came back on the line. "There. Happy? Oh! I should mention one more thing. You can use that phone anytime you'd like to call and check for proof of life, or to, you know, just chat. But I'd conserve the battery if I were you, because it's all you'll have for the entire game. And this game may take awhile."

The line clicked and went dead. Never in his entire life had the simple sound of a phone disconnecting made him feel so alone.

_Don't worry Brian. I'm going to save you,_ thought Dom as he revved the engine of the Charger, feeling all the power of a higher-compression 318 V8 engine had to offer. _Stupid blue eyed angel._

**A/N: Okay, so what do you think? Hate it? State it. But even if you love it let me know. I need to know if this story is worth writing. So, review and let me know someone is still reading along and I'll continue writing. The way I lose interest in writing a fic is if no one is gonna read it. **

**PS. I especially love when someone tells me what they love the most about my fic, it's how I learn what readers like and then I can write more fics that people like. Also, tell me what you don't like and why, that helps me a lot too.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Made up stuff ahead. Like places, streets, and other stuff. Remember this is fan FICTION.**

**Warnings: Same old, same old.**

**Special thanks to ****Yamanvie****, ****janet1982****, ****0519****, ****Belles2010****, ****Modern Dorothy****, ****NeonGreen69****, and ****DestinChild**** for the encouragement and letting me know that someone out there thinks that this story is worth writing. Thanks so much for reviewing. **

**psion53**** thanks for letting me know how long Dom was in Lompoc and that it was Buster that he used to call Brian. I haven't seen the first movie in a long time, so I kind of forgot a few things. Thanks a lot for reviewing and for sharing your knowledge with me. Thanks sooo much! **

**Navalon**** thanks so much for your very informative review. Thanks for taking time out of your- I'm sure -busy schedule to tell me what you like about my fic. I'm glad that my writing style was easy to understand and that everything flowed together easily. As a writer trying to get the pictures in your head across to your readers is, probably, the most difficult thing to do. Thanks sooo much for reviewing!**

Chapter Four

Brian awoke with a start. He shook his head to try and rid himself of his dizzy spell, but only managed to make it worse.

_My head is killing me_, thought Brian, flexing his shoulders and realizing that they didn't ache anymore. It was then that he noticed that he was tied to a bed and not a rope hanging from the ceiling. His whole body tensed and a wave of panic washed over him.

He looked up at his wrists that were now tied to the corners of the bedposts and tried to wiggle them free, but Camille had tied them good and tight to the posts with some sort of cable. Brian gave up on his hands for the moment and looked down to his legs. He found them to be free and he was able to move them as he pleased.

_Well, if worst comes to worst, I guess I could at least kick someone._

Brian went back to scanning the new room he was in. Plain and stark with no windows, just like the last room he was in, but a little bit warmer. Camille must have drugged him again and moved him. Unfortunately, Brian couldn't remember when Camille had drugged him. He felt a cold sweat break out at the thought of what drug could cause a person to black out and loose their memory. He swallowed the lump in his throat, which he found impressive considering his throat was so dry that it felt like sandpaper rubbing together.

Brian moved his body as much as he could to see what the damage was, but was surprised that he didn't ache in anywhere other than the spots he remembered getting beaten for smart mouthing Camille. But that still didn't mean that the creep hadn't molested him in his sleep. Brian shivered as he remembered how he touched him while he was making that recording for Dom.

_Dom._

It had been a couple of days- how many exactly, Brian wasn't sure -since Camille had made that recording and Brian was slowly starting to believe that this would be how his life would end, locked up in some basement with some creep violating him.

Hope, Brian decided, was a terrible thing. It made one hang onto something long after they should have let go. And even though Brian kept telling himself not to want Dom to come and save him, he couldn't help hoping that he was important enough to Dom for him to come and save him.

Brian let out a bitter laugh as he finally realized that what Mia had said was the truth. He was in love with Dom. Too bad that he only realized that now, when he was about to be tortured to death. But, he supposed, that it wouldn't have done him any good if he had realized it earlier either. He wouldn't have said anything to Dom. He would have silently pined after him and, most likely, would have still ended up in the same situation he was in now.

As Brian was about to go back to jiggling the cables holding his wrists to the bedposts, he heard a soft click come from one of the two doors in the room. He froze and glanced over to it just as it was pushed open and Camille walked in, a cell phone pressed against his right ear.

"Of course," Brian heard Camille say to whoever was on the phone before he walked over to where Brian lay, glaring daggers up at the man. "It's Dom. He wants to talk to you," informed Camille, sitting down next to Brian on the bed.

Brian's eyes widened in shock as Camille took the cell phone away from his ear and pressed against his own, grazing the stubble on his cheek as he did so.

"Dom?" Brian asked fearfully, voice shaking from under use and stress.

"Yeah, Brian, it's me," Dom sighed with relief. Brian was so happy that he was sure he was going to cry. But instead Brian put his emotions under wraps and cursed himself for putting Dom in such danger.

"Stupid," yelled Brian into the phone, voice about to crack from all the emotions that were trying to break free. "Get out of the U.S. while you still have the chance!"

"Shut up Brian! I'm coming to save you and there's nothing you can say to change that!"

Camille pulled the phone away from Brian and Brian just laid there in shock. Dom was coming for him. Dom thought that Brian was important enough to save, even after he had deceived Dom into believing he was someone else just to get close to him and prove that he was doing the hijackings. Even after he got Letty killed. Why?

Camille said a few more things that Brian didn't quite catch before he hung up with Dom. Camille pocketed the phone and turned to Brian. "You know," he started, "if I could trust you not to attack me when my back was turned, I'd be able to untie you." Brian just stared up at Camille, anger and defiance clearly written on his face. "Wouldn't it be nice to be able to get up and stretch your legs and go to the bathroom by yourself for a change?"

As much as he hated agreeing with anything Camille had to say, Brian had to agree with him on that point. He had been stripped of everything. His freedom, his pride, and his dignity. So, if behaving for a bit got him a little freedom and a bit of his dignity back, then Brian could do that. He could play nice and sit tight for awhile. Just until he found a way to escape, of course.

"Yeah," answered Brian, hoarsely. He was dying for a drink of water right now.

Camille smiled as he turned away from Brian and bent over the side of the bed. "I'm glad you agree with me. But as you could probably guess, I can't just take your word for it, that you won't attack me so…" said Camille, turning back around towards Brian with a syringe in hand. Brian tried to move away from Camille once he had spotted the syringe with the strange liquid in it. "Calm down, this is just a little something to help you relax and become less of threat to me." Camille moved the syringe closer to Brian and Brian flinched away. Camille stopped moving and moved back away from Brian again. "But," continued Camille, casually, "if you don't want to take the drug, I could just leave you tied to the bed. Really, it's your choice."

The smile that spread across Camille's face as he said that told Brian that it really wasn't his choice. "What is that?" Asked Brian, motioning to the needle with a nod of his head.

"Like I said before, something to help you relax and make you less of a threat to me. It gives a person a slight buzz while also making them a little weak and clumsy. It's kinda like how you would feel after a night out with your buddies drinking, but you actually know what's going on and what you're doing."

"Yeah, but what is it?" Asked Brian, uneasily.

"What? Don't you trust me?" Camille's smile only seemed to grow wider and it creeped the hell out of Brian.

"No," answered Brian flatly. Camille laughed loud and hard.

"Neither should you," laughed Camille. "But I may have a way for you to trust me a little bit more." Camille gripped Brian's arm and before Brian could react, pushed the needle, swiftly, into Brian's arm.

Brian's heart lurched with fear as he saw the contents of the syringe being slowly drained into his arm. Camille pulled out the needle, cleanly, and watched Brian's wide eyes as he moved about the room.

"You should be starting to feel the effects by now," commented Camille. "Your limbs will feel tired and heavy, but the aches all over your body should start to feel better."

Camille smiled as Brian's eyelids drooped a bit and Brian began to slur his words. "Wha-what'd ya do'ta meh?" Brian asked feeling incredibly tired and like his arms weighed a good ton or so.

"It would seem I gave you a little too much. Don't worry, though, next time I'll lower the dosage. For now you just have yourself a nice, little nap."

Brain watched as Camille sauntered back over to him and quickly cut the cables that held his arms to the bed. Brain remembered idly thinking where had Camille pulled out that pocket knife from as he drifted off to sleep.

Dom parked the Charger outside the diner, locking the doors before stepping out of the car and making his way up to the front doors of the establishment.

A small, silver bell chimed as he opened the glass front door of the diner, making his presence known to everyone in the place. Immediately, the waiter behind the counter greeted him and told him to sit wherever he liked. Dom ignored him and walked straight up to the counter.

"I'm looking for a woman who works here named Malinda," stated Dom, cutting straight to the point. The man behind the counter stopped filling the two glasses in front of him with soda in order to glare, angrily, up at Dom.

"Listen Buddy," said the man, harshly, slamming his hands down on the counter. "I'm going to tell you what I told her. This a diner and she's not allowed to come around here any more. Got it? So get your kicks somewhere else."

"Wait! What!" Asked Dom, confused as he watched the waiter turn away from him. But he wasn't going to let the man get away that easily, especially when Brian's life hung in the balance. Dom swiftly reached across the counter, gripped the man by the arm, and spun him around to face him once more.

"Get off me!" Yelled the waiter as he tried to wrench his arm out of Dom's vice like grip.

"What do you mean she's not allowed to come around here anymore!" Demanded Dom. "And where the hell is she now!"

"What are you! Her new pimp!" The man practically screamed, the other customers started to move about the diner in a manner that had Dom on high alert. He was sure that someone had already called the police too. The situation was getting dangerous and fast.

"So Malinda is a hooker? Where does she normally work?" Asked Dom, realizing what Camille had meant when he said that she "some of the time" worked at the diner.

"Here. Haven't you been listening to anything I've just said?"

Dom jerked the waiter's arm, roughly. He didn't have time to be playing around. "You need to learn when the appropriate time to be a smart-aleck is and when isn't. Now is not the time. Just tell me where Malinda normally walks." Dom could hear the faint whistle of police sirens in the distance and they were getting closer. Dom squeezed the waiter's arm a bit tighter. He didn't want to have to break the man's arm, but he would, and he wanted the man to know that.

The man let out a slight whimper of pain and from the corner of his eye, Dom saw one of the patrons of the diner poise himself in such a way that told Dom that if he didn't get his answers from the waiter now, he was most likely going to end up in a situation he wouldn't be able to control.

"I-I don't know, Man," stuttered the waiter in pain. The police sirens were drawing closer now. "I think down on Kasper or Bowden." The police sirens were so close now that Dom could already feel the cold bite of handcuffs being placed around his wrists. He wished that he had more time to interrogate the waiter, but there was nothing he could do about that.

Dom released the waiter and stepped back from the counter. He turned to leave and found a man in a black AC/DC shirt standing in his way.

_I hate stupid people who try to do the right thing, _grumbled Dom to himself, staring down the man. He really didn't have time for this.

At first, the man held his ground, clearly he was trying to keep Dom in the diner until the police arrived, but the longer he stood in front of Dom's intimidating form, the more his resolution seemed to falter, until finally it slipped away completely and the man stepped aside and allowed Dom to pass by him.

Dom cursed to himself as he ran out of the diner and saw the flashing red, white, and blue lights of approaching cop cars. Dom ran to his Charger, quickly jumping in and starting it up. He wanted to get out of there before the cops got there, but as luck would have it, that didn't happen. Just as he sped away from the curb the cops were on him like flies on a carcass.

_Jeez, these guys ever just come in a pack of two?_ Thought Dom as he saw four cop cars pull around the corner and come toward him.

Dom set his jaw tight, eyes firmly set on the road in front of him, and was shifting gears faster than a professional NASCAR driver. Dom hit the gas, hazing the hides of his tires as he sped down the street.

It was so easy and it felt so natural to Dom as he elegantly zoomed through traffic and around moving cars like they weren't even moving at all. Really, the police didn't stand a chance. After only five minutes into the chase they had lost him. Dom wasn't even the least bit surprised.

Checking his rearview mirror again to make sure no flashing lights were following him, Dom reset his course for Kasper and Bowden streets.

**A/N: Tada! Okay, so I did all the editing myself, so I can't guarantee that there are no mistakes. But I tried my best. So, if you spot any mistakes let me know so that I can fix them. Thanks for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Sorry, this took so long to upload, but I'm at my Grandma's right now. She needed me to come over and help her with a lot of stuff. Cleaning house, doctor visits, shots, getting her truck fixed, etc.**

**Warnings: The usual. Slash, some minor violence, and other stuff some people might not be okay with.**

**Special thanks to ****DestinChild****, ****NARUYCHI AIICHI****, ****Nari Starfire,****NeonGreen69****,** **and ****AnnabelEchelon**.

**And a special thanks, also, to ****Yamanvie** **for consistently reviewing, since the beginning, and letting me know that someone out there is still reading along.**

Chapter Five

The next time Brian awoke, he was seated comfortably on a bed with the comforter pulled up to his chest. Brain stretched and noticed that his arms were free. That was a good thing. But, still, something seemed off.

Brain pulled the covers off him and swung his legs over the bed. That's when he realized what was off. His head spun for a moment and his legs wouldn't quite do as he commanded them to. He reached out and held onto the bedpost for support and found that his arms were just as uncooperative as his legs, but he finally did manage to get a hold of one of the posts and kept himself propped upright.

Whatever Camille had given him was working just as he had said. Brian felt weak and clumsy, but was still able to think straight. He controlled his movements, even if they were awkward and it took a few tries before he got them right.

Brian's head snapped up at the sound of a door opening and wasn't in the least bit surprised to see Camille entering his room. "Oh, good, you're up," said Camille, cheerfully. "How's that drug working for you?" Brian grunted as Camille walked over to him and sat down next to him on the bed. "You know, Brian, I don't have anything against you, personally. But I need you in order to get to Dom. So, I was hoping we could be friends."

Brian raised an unbelieving eyebrow at Camille. "You're joking right?" Asked Brian, words slurred just a bit, like he had just downed a couple bottles of cheap beer.

"No, I am not. Dom doesn't deserve someone as loyal and strong as you."

"And you do?"

Camille laughed. "No, probably not, but that doesn't mean I don't want someone as loyal and as strong as you by my side. My earlier proposition is still open."

Brain glared up at Camille as best as he could, but with the room spinning in every direction it was hard to tell where exactly Camille was sitting. There was no way in hell Brian would ever join Camille's crew, especially since he was trying to kill Dom. No, he had to escape and somehow save Dom. But the longer he was there and the more he learned about Camille, the more he began to realize that he had a better chance of saving Dom from the inside. And that meant playing along with Camille.

Brain let out a long and tired sigh as he let his head fall, eyes staring down at the floor. Camille gently reached out and gripped Brian's chin and tilted his head up to look at him. "As I said before," began Camille, "I would take much better care of you. I could also give you much more than Dom ever could. You name it and I could give it to you. Money, cars, women… Men."

The glint in Camille's eyes told Brian exactly what Camille meant by _men, _and made Brian want to shiver in disgust. But then something nagged at Brain in the back of his mind. He looked up at Camille and straight into his eyes. "What did Dom do to you in Lompoc?"

The mood changed drastically. Camille released Brian and stood up from the bed. He walked to one of the corners of the room and looked up, and that's when Brian first noticed the security camera that was bolted to the corner of the ceiling. But it's not like he hadn't expected that.

"What?" Continued Brian, watching Camille's back. "Did he make you his b*tch in prison or something?"

Camille turned and looked over his shoulder at Brian. "No." He stated. "He made me someone else's." Brian stared at Camille, shocked and confused. How was that even possible? And what exactly happened between Camille and Dom? "I'll have someone bring you something to eat in a bit, and after you're done eating we'll make another video for Dom." Camille reached the door and knocked three times on it. It opened and Brian saw one of the three men who had originally kidnapped him. "And while you're waiting, just think over my proposition."

The door creaked, ominously, behind Camille, his intense, cold stare the last thing Brian saw before he was gone.

_Bitter. Angry. Cold._

Kasper Street had proven to be a dead end, the regular girls who walked there saying that Malinda hadn't walked Kasper for months. And now Dom was cruising Bowden Street, its bright neon lights and urine stained sidewalks like every other scum filled back alley Dom had ever seen. He knew that if there was a hooker name Malinda working the streets around there, then this would be one of her more profitable haunts.

Dom drove slowly down the street, a tall woman in red stilettos looking into his passenger window. Dom stopped the Charger and rolled down the window, the tall woman leaned seductively into the car, low cut shirt giving Dom an excellent preview of what he could have later that night if he was willing to pay.

"Hey Baby," she said, her dark curls falling beautifully over her equally dark skin, "you ever been with an African Queen?"

"Afraid not," replied Dom, kindly. "And I'm looking for someone in particular."

The young woman continued to try and win Dom over. "Don't be that way. I'm sure I have anything she can offer you and more."

"Sorry, but you don't," stated Dom, the woman's smile vanishing as it was replaced by an angry scowl. Dom saw the look on her face and knew she would only talk now on one condition. He quickly pulled out some folded bills and handed it to her. "I'm looking for a girl named Malinda. Heard she sometimes walks here and Kasper. And some times at the local diner."

The woman took the money, eyeing it appreciatively before pocketing it. "Yeah I know her," she said. "Hasn't been out here much lately. Says she found herself a sugar daddy that set her up real nice. And last I heard she was staying at the motel about a block and a half down. You can't miss it."

"Thanks," replied Dom as the woman pulled away from his car and started down the street again.

"No. Thank you Baby," replied the woman, provocatively. Dom ignored her and started on his way to the motel.

The motel was a raunchy thing. It smelt bad and looked worse. The ceiling was permanently stained yellow from what Dom presumed was years of cigarette smoke piling up on it, and the floor was so dark that Dom didn't even know what its original color was.

_Yeah,_ thought Dom to himself as he climbed the stairs up to the rooms, _Malinda's sugar daddy set her up real nice._

He had asked the manager downstairs if a woman named Malinda was staying there. The manager looked disinterested at first, eying his sign-in sheet before saying yes and going back to ignoring Dom. Dom started to grow annoyed with the man, but kept his cool long enough to learn in what room she was staying in.

He quickly climbed up the stairs, trying not to think about all the crud that was, literally, caked to every available surface. He scanned the numbers on the doors before finally arriving at his destination.

Dom knocked exactly three times on the wooden surface and listened closely for any signs of life inside. He heard the shuffle and movement of something, and then a cough before someone asked in a raspy voice who was there. Dom only knocked again.

Finally, the voice on the other side of the door opened it just a crack to reveal a very short brunette in a sleeping gown. "You're not Davy," said the woman, sleepily. Her breath smelled of booze, but her mannerism and blood shot eyes spoke of cocaine.

"No, I'm not," replied Dom, curtly. "My name is Dominic and I was told that you have something for me."

Malinda's eyes seemed to come alive. "Camille sent you?"

"Yeah."

Malinda, even though intoxicated and under the influence of cocaine, seemed very conscious and aware of the situation. "In that case, I do have something for you. Camille said that you might be by."

Malinda moved away from the door and waved for Dom to enter. He pushed the door fully open as he entered the room and watched as Malinda swayed to and fro across the room until she reached the bed on the other side of it. She bent over and looked to be digging through a black duffle bag.

As Dom looked about the room he noticed lots of empty beer bottles scattered about and a few needles by the bed. There was no doubt what they were used for. Malinda must have finally found what she was searching for because in the next minute Dom heard her make a triumphant noise. Dom turned his attention back toward her just in time to catch the glint of light reflected off the nickel slick barrel of the revolver as she pulled it out of the bag.

_Sh*t!_

Dom was glad he had kept the door to her room open as he dived out of the room just as Malinda shot off two rounds in his direction, one of them grazing his forearm.

_Great. _Thought Dom with bitter sarcasm. _Guns and druggies. My two favorite things to deal with. Especially at the same time._

Dom rolled out of the room and pressed his back flush against the wall next to the door, breathing heavily as adrenaline pumped rapidly through his veins, leaving a tingly and jittery feeling in their wake.

Dom heard screams erupt from all around him as men and women, clad in only their underwear, ran out of their rooms and down the stairs.

"Camille said," yelled Malinda, her voice barely heard over the roar of feet pounding down stairs and screams of fear, "that if I delivered this key to you that he'd give me five thousand more dollars! But if I killed you he'd pay me twenty grand."

Dom, at least, now knew what he needed from Malinda, but now he had to not only disarm the woman, but also find where she hid the stupid key. His day just kept getting better and better.

"Listen!" Yelled Dom. "I will pay you twenty grand not to kill me!"

"Yeah right! Camille already told me that you would say that! And that you really don't have the money!"

_Sh*t head Camille!_

Dom tried his luck by peeking his head around the doorframe to peer into the room, and was rewarded by another bullet whizzing by his head. For a drunk druggie she was good with that gun. That's probably why Camille chose her. But Dom knew that her revolver only held six bullets, and even if she had some more bullets stashed somewhere in her room, she'd need to reload eventually. So, his goal was to try and get her to run out of bullets- without hitting him -and then tackle her while she reloaded. It seemed like a good plan, except how was he going to do that?

As he waited there, just outside the room, warm blood trickling down his arm, he thought of Brian. Of the first day he met the blue eyed, wide smiling buster. And the last genuine smile he saw on his face the day before he was kidnapped.

Dom took a deep breath as he gathered his nerves up and made a dash out in front of the door and to the other side. Malinda shot off another two rounds. Thankfully, they both missed him.

_Good. She's got only one bullet left._

There was a loud crash from inside the room as a desk was thrown onto the floor. Dom heard Malinda cuss angrily and realized that she was looking for her bullets. If he ever wanted to get that gun away from her, now would be the time.

Dom hesitated only for a second, remembering that she still had one bullet left in the chamber, before jumping quickly into the room. Dom had caught her off guard. She had one hand around the butt of the gun with her finger on the trigger, while her other hand rifled through the contents of the shattered desk that lay in pieces on the floor.

Dom charged at her like a raging bull, anger fueling his rampage. Malinda looked up from where she was searching through the desk just in time to see Dom running at her. She quickly grasped the revolver with both her hands, pointed the barrel at Dom's head, and squeezed the trigger.

The loud bang of the gun going off caused Dom's ears to ring, but he was able to dodge out of the way of the bullet before it made an impact with his head and tackled Malinda to the floor.

Malinda cussed and yelled in pain as her back made contact with the floor and Dom's weight knocked the wind out of her. In her moment of confusion, Dom had taken the gun out of her hands and threw it across the room.

"Where's the key!" Demanded Dom. Malinda's head rolled from side to side as she coughed and sputtered. She groaned and looked like she was about to pass out. "Damn it! I don't have time for this!" Dom shook her violently. "Where's the key!"

"Neck," muttered Malinda, her head bobbing back and forth like a rag doll.

"What?" Questioned Dom before looking down at her neck. And sure enough there was a key tied to a string around her neck. Dom placed Malinda down gently on the floor before ripping off the key from around her neck. "This would have been easier if you had just given me this in the first place."

Dom eyed the key for a minute wondering what it went to and was about to ask Malinda when he spotted the engraving on the key. It said, "U.S. Postal Service, Pasadena ." It was a mailbox key. Dom pocketed the key as- not for the first time that day -he heard police sirens approaching.

Dom stood and walked back through the rubble that was once a motel room, but stopped when he found what Malinda had been looking for earlier. The box of shells laid halfway under the bed and halfway out. Dom looked at it for a moment before picking it up and then walking back across the room to pick up the gun.

"I'm taking this with me," stated Dom as he picked up the gun and slid the barrel into the waist band of his pants before leaving the motel.

Dom sat inside his Charger looking up at the building he sat in front of. Its military grade, grey bricks and perfectly cut grass and trees reminding Dom too much of a courthouse. Dom mindlessly scratched at his newly bandaged forearm, the gauze irritating the skin around the burning gash in his arm from where Malinda had grazed him with one of her bullets.

Sitting and staring up at the building, Dom fiddled with the key in his hand, cursing himself for not getting Malinda to tell him what number P.O. Box the key went to. Now how was he suppose to get whatever was inside the mailbox? Without any ID or idea who the P.O. Box was put under, there was no way Dom would be able to get into the mail slot.

There was only one way to find out which box the key went to and that was to try and unlock each and every box with it. Dom looked up at the building again, grimacing at its immense size. There had to be hundreds if not thousands of mail boxes in there. And there was no way he could just walk in there and start trying to unlock boxes without someone spotting him and thinking that it looked odd for a man to be trying to unlock every box. No, there had to be another way. And there was, but Dom wasn't sure he wanted to call Camille just to ask for his help. His mind said it was the most logical thing to do, even if there was a chance he wouldn't tell him, but his pride refused to let him sink that low.

_I just need a minute to think,_ though Dom to himself as he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

He was so tired. He hadn't slept much in the last couple of days, too busy trying to save Brian and only running off of caffeine and adrenaline. When was the last time he ate real food? A week? Two weeks ago? Was Mia okay? Was she somewhere safe, eating three square meals a day? He hoped so. And then, what about Brian? Was Camille feeding him? Or just beating him into a bloody pulp?

Dom's temper flared again, but he calmed himself. He knew it would do him- and Brian -no good to get all worked up right now. Right now he needed a plan. Right now he needed a way to figure out what box the key went to.

Dom relaxed into his seat and closed his eyes, deep in thought. If he were Camille, what would he do? As his mind wandered over, seemingly, endless possibilities, Dom slowly started to drift off to sleep. And before he knew it he was fast asleep.

_-Dom's Dream-_

_He heard a scream in the distance. A horrible, gut wrenching scream of pain coming from the darkness ahead of him. And then a laugh. It started off as a chuckle and grew._

"_Dom! Help me! Please!" Dom heard a familiar voice yell as another scream was heard._

"_Brain!" Cried Dom, running into the darkness, unaware and uncaring of what lay waiting for him in there, all he knew was that Brian was in there, begging for Dom to save him._

_The laughter grew louder as more horrible cries of pain were heard._

"_Help me! Please save me Dom! Oh God, there's so much pain, make it stop!" Cried Brian in a sorrowful prayer._

"_I'm coming Brian! Just hang on!" Dom's voice was breaking and he ran harder and deeper into the darkness, but no matter how far he seemed to run he was never any closer._

"_You can't save him Dom," said an all too familiar voice. _

_Dom stopped running as a light was turned on and there in front of him, just out of his reach, stood Camille, holding a bloody and beaten Brian by his hair. His eyes- Oh God, those angel blue eyes -looked pleadingly up at Dom, their blue color gone, hidden beneath the pain and anguish he felt._

"_Let him go Camille!" Barked Dom, anger rolling off him in waves._

_Camille laughed. "Not before I have my fun with him."_

_And in the next minute Brian was curled up on the floor, stark naked, and crying. Something deep inside Dom twisted and ached in pain as he heard Brian whimpering in agony._

"_You can't save him Dom," whispered Camille again as the darkness around him and Brian swallowed them whole and left Dom alone._

_Dom frantically looked around the dark space searching for them. Searching for Brian. Then a shot rang out from the darkness. Dom hit the ground as he watched his surroundings change into the scene at the motel with Malinda. But, only this time, he saw the scene moving backwards._

_Dom watched himself walk backwards out of the room and noticed something he hadn't before. The number to Malinda's room was 204. Next, he was taken back to the diner. The address! The address was 204, something, Main Street! And the locker number at Myke's Gym was 204._

"_Dom."_

_Dom turned around to the sound of his name to see Brian standing in front of him, naked and bleeding._

"_Brian!"_

_Dom looked Brian over quickly. He was skinny and beaten. Large welts covered his body like he had been beaten with a whip. Bloody lacerations oozed dark red blood unto the floor. And dark purple and blue bruises covered every other inch of his body._

"_Brian," whispered Dom, softly, as he reached out to Brian. Brian flinched away from his touch and tears slowly rolled down his cheeks. Dom drew his hand back as guilt and sorrow over came him. "I'm sorry Brian. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." Brian cried even more. "I should have been there to protect you. But I will save you."_

_Dom reached out toward Brian again, this time Brian didn't flinch away. Dom let his fingertips graze gently across Brian's cheek, careful to avoid the dark bruises and deep gashes on his face. "I promise," whispered Dom before the Brian in front of him faded away and he was left once again alone in the dark._

_-End of Dom's Dream-_

Dom awoke shortly after the Brian in his dream disappeared. He looked out his car window and noticed that it was dark out and that he was the only one left in the post office parking lot. How long had he been out? He checked the time and noticed that he had been out for almost four hours. That's four hours more that that creep, Camille, had with his Brian. And make no mistake, Brian was his. But his time asleep was not a waste. Dom may have just figured out a clue to which box his key unlocked.

The lights to the post office were still on and even though the workers had gone home for the night, the building was still open to those late-nighters who stopped by to pick up their mail. Dom stepped out of his car, surprised that no one had tried to get him to move earlier for loitering, but he supposed he was a pretty intimidating looking guy, even while asleep.

Dom stepped up the concrete stairs and walked into the building, happy that it was empty before looking over the numbers. There were no three digit numbers at the post office, so Dom had to guess a bit. He searched around until he found a box numbered 2004. It was worth a try he supposed.

Digging out the key from his pocket, Dom slid it into the lock and turned it. To his surprise, the little door came open. Dom peered inside and saw only one thing in it. A plain white envelope. He quickly pulled it out and looked it over. No return address, but it was sent to Dominic Bellini.

Dom opened the envelope, pulling out the paper and SD card inside. Dom already knew what to do with the SD card so he held onto it as he began to read over the letter.

_Hello Dom. Have you been enjoying our little game? And seeing as how you've made it this far, you must have met Malinda. She's a little firecracker, is she not? And I just want to say congratulations for making it this far, but you still have a ways to go._

_I have given you all that you'll need to find us, Dom. Let's see if you're clever enough to find us. Remember Dom, Brian's counting on you._

_Your Friend,_

_Camille_

Dom folded the letter back up and placed it back in the envelope from which it came before heading back to his car. He hoped a clue would be waiting for him on the SD card.

Hopping into the Charger, Dom reached over into the passenger's seat and picked up the camcorder, placing in the card before turning it on. The screen flickered for a moment and then went dark, Dom thought it was broken before a news woman came on the screen.

"_The man's name was Benny Rodrigo and was a known drug runner and local gang member. Officials say that they caught Rodrigo trying to flee the country and head back into Mexico, where his parents live,"_ said the anchor woman as a picture of Benny Rodrigo was placed next to her head.

The news report was old, the date placed at the bottom of the scene told Dom that. Camille clearly wanted him to know that. But why? And why did the name Benny Rodrigo sound so familiar to Dom?

The screen went black again before the scene switched and Dom was once again staring at a bound and gagged Brian with a very smug looking Camille standing over him and who was slowly caressing Brian's naked torso and the biceps of his arms. Brian was sporting some new bruises since the last time Dom had seen him, but he- thankfully -looked nothing like the punching bag that Dom had seen in his dream.

"_Hello Dom,"_ said Camille as he stopped his ministrations to stare, smugly, into the camera. _"If you're watching this then bravo for surviving Malinda. I met her my first night out of prison. She's a handful, is she not?"_

Brian, who was lying on the floor with his hands tied behind his back and a rag in his mouth, quickly tried to jerk away from Camille as Camille gripped his chin and pulled him forward.

"_Shush, shush," _whispered Camille to Brian. _"It's okay. Just calm down."_ Dom didn't know what upset him more. The fact that Camille was treating Brian like some dog. Or that Brian was listening to him. Brian calmed down and his harsh breathing- which could be heard even through the fabric in his mouth -slowed. _"Don't you have anything to say to Dom?" _Camille took the gag out of Brian's mouth and as he looked into the camera, eyes looking dejected and slowly loosing their shine, Brian shook his head and looked down at the floor.

Dom watched a wicked smile spread across Camille's face and vowed that the next time he saw the bastard that he'd rip his face off first before he killed him. Camille lifted Brian's face up and slowly bent down and kissed him full on the mouth. To say Dom was angry was an understatement, and furious didn't even begin to cover it.

Dom watched as Camille viciously ravaged Brian's mouth as Brain struggled to get away from the man. Brian kicked and thrashed about, trying to get the big man off him, but it was no use Camille was just physically stronger than Brian.

Finally, after a full minute of kissing Camille quickly jerked away with a hiss. Dom saw blood on Brian's lips and, for a moment, felt a bit of smug satisfaction and pride. But his moment of pride was short lived as Camille back handed Brian hard enough to send him falling onto his back where Camille proceeded to kick him in the stomach.

"_Now,"_ breathed Camille as he finished kicking Brian and turned back toward the camera and wiped the blood off his split lip. _"I'd really hate to mess up his pretty face, but if he keeps acting up I may have no choice but to teach him how to behave. Really Dom, you should have taught your suka better manners."_

Dom heard Brian cuss and hiss in pain as he tried to sit up on the floor. He saw blood slowly drip from Brian's mouth onto the concrete floor as he hoisted himself up into a sitting position.

"_You'd better hurry and find us Dom," _continued Camille. _"I don't know how long Brian can last."_

The screen flicker and then went black.

**A/N: Thanks again for reading. I'd just like to remind everyone that this is a hurt/comfort story, and a long one at that. So, if you can hang in there with me, I can promise you character development and "manly-ish" fluff.**

**Also, keep in mind, that people who review and tell me what they love most about my fic and why, motivate me to write more. And if you see something you think could use a little more work on to make my fic better please let me know, and let me know how to make my fics better. I'll take your recommendations into consideration. My PM is active. Thanks again!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I don't have a LiveJournal account so I have no way of posting my stories on other websites. So I would be very very grateful if you thought my story was good enough to be linked to on other sites. It would make me very very happy if someone liked my fic so much that they posted a link to it on another site- or something -that brought them to my story.**

**Warnings: Molestation.**

**Special thanks to ****Nari Starfire****, ****ellepha****, ****janet1982****, ****DestinChild****, ****, ****kimayared2000****, ****Melikalilly** ** for the reviews that keep me going. Thanks you guys for the support. And ****kimayared2000**** I'm glad that my story is entertaining, like a movie to you. It made me happy- in a giddy sort of way, strangely enough -to hear you say that. And to ****Quizilla x bAbE****, thanks for the review. It's always lovely to know that all my hard working in keeping the characters true to their form paid off. Thank You. _ I'm so happy!**

**And thanks to everyone who story alerted and faved this fic, thanks for reading and continuing to read.**

Chapter Six - 

Brian knew it was stupid of him to have bitten Camille's lip when he kissed him. He should have just played along and kissed him back. But there was just something about the idea of Dom seeing him kiss the slimy bastard that didn't sit right with him.

Brian rolled over on the bed and knew that he'd be feeling those boot prints on his stomach for quite awhile. But he was also- kind of, sort of -thankful to Camille for drugging him up enough that it didn't hurt too badly. But the drug was staring to wear off and Brian knew that Camille would be back soon to administer some more. He always did.

Brian heard the door open and he casually rolled over to see who it was and was surprised to see a tall burly man with a lazy eye instead of Camille. The man scowled down at Brian as he moved closer to the bed.

"You're a pretty little suka, I'll give you that," said the man, a thick Russian accent lacing his words as he towered over Brian. "I don't understand why Camille doesn't just take you now, kill you, and then kill Dominic when he gets here." Brian stared up angrily at the brute. He didn't like where this conversation was heading. "Perhaps I'll have my way with you right now. Ruin that pretty body of your's and then see if Dominic will want you after that." Brian _really_ didn't like where this was going.

The brawny man moved closer to the bed, stripping out of his jacket. Brian was suddenly thankful that most of the drug had run out of his system already and that he had more control over his body, even if that meant feeling more pain.

The man tried to reach for Brian, but Brian was too quick and easily rolled to the other side of the bed and off it. The man grew angry and lunged for Brian. Brian easily sidestepped the attack. Whereas the man was strong, Brian was fast. But in a room about fifteen feet wide with a bed in the middle of it, there wasn't a whole lot of places to run to, so the edge went to the Russian brute.

The man growled low in his throat as he stalked over to Brian, cornering him. Brian put up his fists, ready for a fight. Like hell was he just going to lie there and take it from this son of a b*tch. The man reached down toward Brian and Brian came out swinging.

Brian aimed a fist at the man's jaw and smiled, contently, when his knuckles made contact with the hard bone and he heard a loud cracking sound. The man, however, was not too happy. He recoiled for a second, shocked by how strong Brian was, giving Brian the opportunity he needed to squeeze by the man and kick the back of his knees in.

The man crashed to his knees, angrier now than he had been only a few minutes ago. As he turned to face Brian, Brian met his face with another fist. And then another one, and another one. The man was finally able to grab one of Brian's wrists and twist it, causing Brian to fall to his knees in pain. Brian was sure that he had broken something when he heard an ominous creaking sound emanate from his twisted arm.

As the man rose to his feet Brian kicked angrily at the man's shins and anywhere else his legs could reach, which was pretty far. He had really long legs. The man was cursing in Russian as Brian landed a good kick on the man's torso causing him to release his hold on Brian's arm. Brian was able to stumble back away from the man until his back hit the wall behind him, halting his escape.

The man stood at his impressive height, which Brian knew had to be well over six feet, and stalked over to him. The Russian smiled as he wiped blood away from his split lip. "You're going to be a fun little f*ck," said the man as he drew closer to Brian.

Brian let out a puff of air as he smirked defiantly up at the man. "That's what you think," he replied, cockily, and put up his fists for round two. This time the man swung his fists at Brian too.

Brian couldn't remember exactly what happened, just that once that first fist made contact with his face- even though he was trying his best to block most of the hits -that he was seeing stars and his jaw was screaming in agony. In the next second, he felt himself being lifted over the brute's shoulder and that's when panic really started to set in.

Brian kicked and punched at every part of the man's body that he could reach, but even though he was strong, he just couldn't compete with the man's brute strength. And soon he found himself lying on his back on the bed.

When the man tried to rip off Brian's pants, Brian wrapped his legs around the man's waist and using his one free hand proceeded to punch the man's one good eye just like he had done to him the night he was kidnapped.

The man tried to pull away from Brian, but Brian kept a tight grip with his legs around the man's waist and kept the Russian within striking range. Unfortunately, that meant that he too was within striking range. The man punched Brian right across the jaw causing Brian to see stars again and let up on his hold on the Russian.

The Russian gripped both of Brian's wrists and held them above his head. "You're quite feisty," panted the Russian, looking down at Brian who was panting just as hard as the man above him. "Let's see how feisty you are when I'm done with you."

Brian scowled and cocked his chin up at the man. And in his struggles, the Russian forgot to hold down Brian's legs, so Brian positioned one of his legs between both of the man's and brought his knee up, hard, between both of the man's own.

The man barked out a curse in Russian, but didn't relinquish his hold on Brian, in fact, if it was even possible he held on tighter to Brian. So, Brian continued to knee the Russian right in his family jewels a couple more times.

The man finally gained some ground and started punching Brian, over and over, in the stomach, right over the bruises that Camille had made the day before. Brian gasped as he felt the air being forced out of his lungs.

"You think you're so clever, don't you?" Asked the Russian as he punched Brian across the face and then threw him completely off of the bed.

Brian hit the cold floor with a loud thud and felt his hands and knees ache from where they broke his fall. He coughed and gasped for air, but his lungs were in so much pain that they wouldn't let any in. All he felt when he tried to suck in air was fire burning up his insides.

He knew that he had to get some distance between him and the Russian, but as he tried to crawl away from the man he felt a heavy boot being placed on the middle of his back and forcing him down flush against floor. The skin covering his cheekbone split as Brian's face forcibly met with the floor.

_God. Can't breath._ Thought Brian as he lay there on the floor, the man's boot heavy on his back. _I feel like I'm about to pass out._

And as Brian began to feel light headed and the edges of his vision began to blur, the boot on his back let up. But that was not cause for celebration as he felt a large and calloused hand grip the back of his neck and hold him down as he felt his pants being ripped off.

_Crap!_

"When I'm done with you, ain't no one going to want to touch you," hissed the man against Brian's ear.

Brian squeezed his eyes tightly shut as he felt the man's sordid hand run over his body like Brian was an object that he owned. He felt himself wanting to gag as the man's hot breath ghosted over the back of his neck. And just as he thought that this was how it was going to end, he suddenly felt the body on top of him vanish.

Brian opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder to see Camille slamming the Russian man face first against the concrete wall of his room. Brian's eyes went wide with shock, because even though Camille was shorter and looked weaker than the other man, he was throwing the Russian around like a sack of feathers.

"What…" Growled Camille, practically spitting venom with his words. "…Exactly do you think you're doing?"

The other Russian tried to explain himself as he tried to talk with Camille in their native tongue. But whatever he said only seemed to make Camille madder and Camille shoved him harder against the wall. Whereas the taller man's words only disgusted Brian, Camille's low, hissing voice sent a sliver of fear throughout him, even if he couldn't understand what was being said.

Someone on the outside of the room opened the door and Camille shoved the taller Russian through it and out of the room, barking orders at the two men in Russian. Brian shivered at Camille's voice, rolling onto his back and looking down at his bruised and bloodied body as he sat there on the floor in a ripped T-shirt and boxers.

"Are you okay?" Asked Camille, fists tightly clenched with unspent anger, and for a minute- as Brian stared up at a silently seething Camille -he was reminded of Dom.

"As okay as can be expected for someone being held against his will," replied Brian, trying to stand to his feet only to find that his legs were incredibly shaky. Brian quickly reached out for the bed, and using it as leverage, hoisted himself up onto his feet.

"Sorry about that," replied Camille, sounding sincere. "As I have said before, I have nothing against you personally, it's just…"

"That I'm a means to an end. Yeah, yeah, I know," finished Brian for Camille as he sat back down on the bed, facing away from Camille.

"He was only supposed to give you another injection while I was off running an errand. But it would seem he was angrier than he had previously stated about that black eye you gave him." Brian just grunted as he wiped the blood that was dripping down his face away from his eyes. "Let me see," commanded Camille as he appeared next to Brian, seemingly out of thin air. Brian's defiant nature caused him to pull away from Camille as he reached out to him. "Don't do that," commanded Camille angrily, hand reaching up and forcibly gripping Brian's chin and turning his head to face him.

The cuts on Brian's face bled profusely, but injuries on the head always looked worse than what they really were. Brian kept his eyes, pointedly, staring away from Camille, he didn't want him to know just how much almost being raped really affected him. And it did affect him a lot.

When Camille finished looking over Brian he stood abruptly, telling Brian that he would be back shortly with something to bandage up his face with. Brian sat silently on the edge of his bed, unshed tears stinging his eyes and blurring his vision, but he'd be damned if he let the bastard have the pleasure of seeing him cry, so he just held them in.

A few moments later Camille returned with a small first aid kit and Brian's daily injection of God only knew what. Camille sat down next to Brian once more on the bed and Brian numbly held out his arm to the man, too tired to put up any fight. Normally he would put up some resistance, but after what had just happened he couldn't even seem to muster up enough energy to tell Camille to go screw himself.

Camille gave Brian the injection before cleaning the cuts on his face and bandaging them up. "There," stated Camille as he placed the last Band-Aid on Brian's forehead. "You should get some sleep." Camille picked up the first aid kit and was about to leave when Brian stopped him.

"You never did tell me what it was exactly Dom did to you that caused this personal vendetta

against him," stated Brian, dully, as he turned his attention toward Camille. "How exactly did he make you someone else's b*tch?"

Camille sat back down next to Brian. Face impassive, but eyes glazed over and looking like they were seeing a different time and place. "We were cellmates back in Lompoc, but only for a short time," started Camille, not looking at Brian, but Brian stared straight at him, watching how Camille's stiff jaw worked and tense shoulders flex, and the more and more he watched Camille the more he couldn't help noticing how all the little things he did reminded him of Dom. It scared Brian quite a lot, actually, to see these similarities between Dom and Camille. "I thought we were sort of friends, but I was young and stupid back then. I should have realized that it was a dog eat dog world out there.

"There were these two gangs in prison, sure there were more, but these were the top two. I was new and wanted to be in one of the gangs, but I had to prove myself to them first. So, I kind of spied on the other gang for a bit. I was a nobody back then. I low drug dealer. So, I flew under everyone's radar. Until, of course, Dom ratted me out.

"The gang I was spying for wanted nothing to do with me and the gang I was spying on wanted retribution. Next thing I knew my world was falling apart. But Dom seemed to be doing better. I realized quick that he ratted me out for some sort of protection. Bastard.

"I spent the next couple years fighting anyone who tried to touch me, guards included, which is why my sentence was so long. But after five years of fighting and losing, I decided to just give in. Just keep my head down, work, and press through anything they put in front of me. Those were the worst twelve years of my life."

Camille finished his story and looked down to his fists on his lap. Brian could, practically, feel the anger radiating off him in waves. Now he could understand why Camille was so angry. Why this was so important to him. Brian was completely petrified at having _almost_ been raped, he could only imagine the horrors that Camille went through every day for twelve whole years. Brian couldn't help it- he was just that kind of guy -he felt sympathy for Camille.

_Perhaps it's Stockholm's syndrome._

"I didn't know," whispered Brian, and honestly, he didn't.

Camille unfurled his fists as he let out a long-suffering sigh and turned to look at Brian. "You see now why I had to take you away from him? I wanted to take something important away from him. I wanted him to emotionally and physically suffer. To be close enough to what he wants to practically touch it, but know that he couldn't, even if he tried."

And, surprisingly, Brian did understand. Camille felt that he had been wronged. And, who knew, maybe he had been. He also felt that he deserved repentance from the man who he believed did him wrong. Brian could understand that also. It was a normal human reaction to want revenge on someone who had caused you so much pain.

"You should get some sleep, and I need to have a talk with my men," stated Camille as he stood and walked over to the door that led out of the room.

"Camille," called Brian. Camille turned and looked back at Brian, face impassive as ever. "Thanks for… This." Brian motioned to the bandages on his face as Camille nodded to him and left the room. What Brian really wanted to thank him for went unsaid, but it's not like either of them had to say anything to know what it was.

Dom sat quietly at the desk as he looked through dozens of newspaper articles dating back twelve years ago. He knew the name Benny Rodrigo sounded familiar and after a bit of searching through the computer he realized where he had heard the name before.

Benny Rodrigo was Camille's ex-partner when he was selling drugs on the outside. Dom remembered Camille talking about the man in passing a few times. Camille said that he had gotten busted not long after himself when he tried to flee back to Mexico. Dom only wished that he had paid a little more attention to Camille when he had talked about Benny.

Dom read over as many articles as he could find on Benny Rodrigo, which wasn't a lot, but every little bit counted. Pulling out the letter that Camille had sent him, Dom looked over the note for the millionth time that evening. He paid, especially, close attention to the postal stamp at the top right hand corner of the envelope. It said that the letter had come from Las Vegas, Nevada. But that didn't really help Dom much. Vegas was a big place. Besides, Dom didn't believe that Camille was hiding Brian in town. No, Dom believed that it was more plausible that Camille was hiding Brian somewhere in the Nevada desert. Which really- really -didn't help Dom; for as big as Vegas was, the whole state of Nevada was bigger still.

His only question was why did Camille want him to remember Benny Rodrigo? To throw him off track, perhaps? Waste his time with this wild goose chase while he tortured Brian more? No, that didn't seem like Camille's style. Camille wanted Dom to find him. He wanted Dom and him to have, what some would call, a face off. This whole time Dom was the one that Camille really wanted. Brian was just a way to get to Dom. A way to make Dom suffer before facing Camille. So, whatever Camille wanted Dom to remember about Benny you could be assured that it was important.

Dom scrolled through a few more online articles before something caught his eye.

_Benny Rodrigo lived just on the outskirts of Las Vegas, Nevada during his time as a drug dealer, hiding away in a small, wooden cabin which he built only years earlier._

_Police suspect that Rodrigo used his hideout to stash cocaine and other illegal substances before selling them on the streets._

_The cabin was found just a few miles north of the Las Vegas city limits, abandoned and free of any drugs. But that-_

Dom stopped reading, having learned all that he wanted to. That had to be where Camille was holding Brian. It just had to be.

_Don't worry Bri,_ thought Dom, _I'm coming for you. But first I need to pick up a few supplies. _

Dom switched off the computer and quickly made for the exit of the library. And yes, even a grease monkey like Dom went to the library from time to time. Before leaving he nodded to the nice, young librarian who had allowed him to use the computers even though he didn't have a library card. She blushed and waved as Dom opened the doors and left.

**A/N:** **Camille, Brian's savior! Dum, dum, dum! And poor Brian's scared out of his mind. But I mean, seriously, how would you feel after almost being raped? I actually think I wrote this scene fairly well (but that's just my egotistical opinion). I tried to make Brian emotional, but bottling it up, and still be manly about it. But the thing is, if he keeps bottling up all these emotions inside of himself, before long he's just going to explode. **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Fun Fact! I originally wanted to call Camille, Sasha, but Camille held some sort of allure to me.**

**Vikul is pronounced like Vic-OOL. Long "O" sound. And in this chapter we see the _real_ Camille.**

**Special thanks to Live4StarWars for the review and you're right. If Dom doesn't hurry Brian's going to convert over to the dark side. But what exactly- exactly -does Camille want from Brian?**

**Nari Starfire,**** ahhhhh, thank you for such a sweet review. And, really, it's reviews like yours that keep me writing. And, I know I say this a lot, but it makes me so happy when people comment on my writing style and plot-line. I'm so glad that it was easy to follow along with and vivid. I was going for simple yet captivating while I tried to get the images in my head down on paper.**

**Melikalilly****, thank you for the review, and I'm so glad someone thought that I got Brian's emotions right. It's so hard to get the characters' traits, emotions, and personalities right. Especially when writing fanfiction. It's not like writing your own story and creating your own characters. When you do that you know exactly how each character will react to each situation, but with fanfiction you're taking someone else's character and trying your best to interpret their feelings and emotions and put it down on paper. **

**DestinChild****, thank you. YAY! More people think that Brian isn't OOC! Yeah, I wanted the part where Camille tells Brian what happened between him and Dom to be emotional and significant. I'm so glad everyone liked the chapter. And, yeah, Dom is about to make it ****_all_ better.**

**BAFling****, thanks for the review and all will be revealed soon.**

**Melissen****, thanks for all the reviews and for following along. Hope you keep reading and that the story lives up to everyone's expectations.**

**Antivertigo****, thanks for the review that made me feel so warm and fuzzy inside- in a good way, I assure you. And thanks for explaining the difference between a shell, a bullet, and rounds. I'll go back and try and fix my story later, after I've finished writing it. But thanks a lot. It's very helpful.**

**Lanfear1****, Hahahaha! I'm not much of a drama lover, but I've been told I can write it. So glad you like my story enough to review it. Thank you so much!**

**Thanks also to KarmaPotter18, Deathmage666, ChubbyTabby, and tamy-blue for all the support and love. Without all of you I would have quit writing.**

Chapter Seven - 

Dom drove like the devil himself was nipping at his heels all the way from Pasadena to Las Vegas, surprisingly, avoiding every cop he saw. Once he saw the lights of Vegas come into view he felt the tingling in his veins heighten. He knew this feeling well. He felt it every time he hit the switch to the NOS in a race. It was adrenaline coursing through his body. It hadn't left his system since his sister had first came running to him, telling him that Brian was in trouble. It would wear down at times, but never wear out.

And, even though, Dom had all this adrenaline pulsing through his system, he was tired. He hadn't slept or eaten properly in weeks. And all these hoops Camille had him jumping through were wearing him out, no doubt, that was exactly what Camille wanted.

Dom was approaching the city limits now, the neon lights growing brighter and the sound of people laughing and music blaring growing louder. His arms suddenly felt heavy, as did his eyelids. He tried to shake off his weariness like all the other times before, but he just couldn't shake it this time. He needed to pull over and get some sleep or risk falling asleep at the wheel. As much as he hated leaving Brian in Camille's care a minute longer, Dom knew that he would be no good to Brian if he got himself killed by accidentally crashing into a strip club in the middle of the night. But he needed to get somewhere specific in the city before he could pull over for the night.

Brian took Camille's advice and tried to get some sleep. But trying to relax was hard for him- not that it hadn't been from the beginning -but now, though, he couldn't seem to calm his shaking nerves, even with the help of the drug in his system.

Finally, after a couple of hours of just lying awake on the bed, Brian felt his eyelids grow heavy and the darkness of sleep wash over him.

_-Brian's Dream-_

_Brian screamed as he felt the Russian's cold, clammy hand tighten around his throat, that depraved smile spread wide across his face making Brian cringe._

_God no! Thought Brian as his air was slowly being cut off._

"_Such a pretty little suka," whispered the man as he pulled Brian close to him, caressing him in ways that made Brian want to hurl. Brian looked away from the man's face, determined not to let the man see how much he was affecting him. But the man pulled Brian's face close to his own and whisper very, very softly into his ear. "I bet you wish that I was him, don't you?"_

_Brian was shocked and confused. What was that supposed to mean? And who was he talking about? Camille?_

_Brian gulped in air as he felt the hand around his throat loosen and pulled away from the man, surprised to see that where the tall Russian with the lazy eye was once standing, stood Dom in his place._

"_Dom!" Exclaimed Brian as the hand around his throat fell away completely and landed on his shoulder. Brian felt his heart leap to his throat and joy bubble up in his chest._

"_Brian," whispered Dom, voice soft and eyes dark as he gripped Brian's shoulder and pulled him close, kissing him viciously._

_Brian choked at first from surprise before relaxing into the kiss and melting into Dom's strong arms. Dom moved his hands, slowly, up Brian's back eliciting moans of pleasure from the shorter man. Slowly, Brian felt his eyelids slide closed and never felt so safe in his life. He was with Dom now. And, God did being held in Dom's arms feel so good. So safe and secure._

_Brian felt lips being pressed against his ear and a warm breath wash over it as a strongly accented voice said, "I told you that you wished I was him."_

_Brian jerked back and away from the chest he was resting against and looked up at the man holding him, but where he expected to see Dom, in his place once again stood the tall Russian man._

_Brian tried to run away from the man, but his legs wouldn't cooperate and the man had a firm hold on his arm._

"_What's wrong?" Teased the man. "You were so eager to spread your legs for Dominic, why not me?"_

_-End of Brian's Dream-_

Brian woke with a scream caught in his throat, his sluggish body trying to jerk itself out of the way of the imagined danger. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness of his room, he had never been so happy to see that he was the only one in his prison.

He swallowed his scream before it could make it past his lips and scrubbed a shaky hand across his face, wiping away the cold sweat that had broken out across his skin.

_Oh God, Dom. I'm so scared._

Brian slowly sat up on his bed and gradually brought up his knees until they touched his chest, resting his chin on them as he let out a shaky sigh. What was he going to do? Dom said that he was coming for him, but what if he couldn't find him? Or Camille sent him on a wild goose chase? What then? He had to think of a way out. He couldn't depend wholly on Dom. He needed an escape plan. But Camille was good, and there wasn't a flaw- that Brian could see -in his security. But Brian knew from experience that even the best security systems had, at least, one draw back, he just had to find Camille's.

Camille sat back in his chair as he stared at the screen in front of him, watching Brian curl in on himself on the security footage. He really did like Brian and felt sort of bad for commanding Vikul to try and sexually assault him. But he wanted Brian all to himself. And in order to get Brian, he would have to break the man's loyalty to Dom first.

Camille had read all about Brian and he found that the man had a soft spot for ex-cons with a sad story. Camille seemed to fit all the qualifications. Who knew, if Camille played his cards right, he just might be able to get rid of Dom and win Brian over to his side all at the same time.

_Hm… Yes, I do believe that I'd like that very much,_ thought Camille as he watched Brian stand and stride over to the bathroom before disappearing inside. He had a camera in the bathroom too, but he decided to give Brian a minute to himself. And, besides, it wasn't like Brian was going to get naked for a shower or anything. Camille usually didn't turn on the bathroom's camera unless there was going to be a substantial loss of clothes happening.

Camille leaned back further in his chair and stretched his back, feeling the knots and kinks slowly work themselves loose. He did hope Dom found them soon or at all for that matter. If Dom was still as sharp as Camille last remembered him to be, then Dom would be able to find them. But, who knew, maybe life on the outside had made him careless and dull.

After a couple hours of sleep and a light breakfast, Dom was off again. And if his assumptions were right, then he'd find Benny's old hideout just a few miles down the dusty road he was traveling on.

As Dom sped past the city limit sign and watched a cloud of dust form against the glass of his side window he let out a tired sigh. He had only gotten about five hours of sleep the previous night, and that was more fitful than anything else. Pictures of a beaten and bloodied Brian kept racing through his mind and had him waking up in a cold sweat. And then this morning he had forced himself to eat half of a tuna sandwich, at least, he thought it was tuna. His appetite had seemingly disappeared ever since he left Mexico and Brian was taken.

Dom watched the road ahead of him, hypnotized by the stretch of empty black road and the quickly vanishing yellow stripes that appeared to be getting swallowed up whole by his car as he drove. There was nothing but rocks and dirt on either side of Dom for as far as he could see. But soon, he knew, that he would find Brian. He could feel it in the pit of his stomach.

Dom drove slowly around the bend as he spotted the old, wooden shack off in the distance. At first, he didn't believe that the place was really Benny's old hideout, until he spotted the lot of expensive looking cars parked in front of it; one of which he recognized.

He felt a growl of anger vibrate through his throat as he stared at the familiar, black sedan parked just off to the side of the shack. There was no mistaking it. This was where Camille was holding Brian.

Placing the Charger in reverse, Dom slowly pulled the Charger behind a rather large boulder and quickly turned off the ignition. Dom reached into the back seat and pulled out the shiny, silver revolver that he took from Malinda, placing it in his lap, he reached into the back seat once again and this time pulled out a box of bullets.

Flipping the gun's chamber open, Dom emptied the shells onto the passenger's floor of the Charger before flipping open the box of bullets and picking out a few. He let the small bullets roll around in his hand for a moment as the glint of light reflected off the nickel barrel of the gun caught his eye. He calmly and smoothly popped one bullet at a time into the chamber, meticulously planning out his next move.

Should he wait for the cover of night or move in now? How many people occupied the shack? Where exactly was Brian? And what kind of security did Camille have exactly? Dom was plagued by these questions to which he didn't have the answer to.

_Damn,_ thought Dom. _And just when I thought that the hard part was over. _ He let the weight of the gun settle in his hand as he eyed the shack and cars surrounding it pensively. Dom counted exactly three cars parked outside and from what Mia had told him he knew that one of them held three people, not including Camille and Brian. _Crap!_ Dom was not liking his odds. He knew for a fact that Camille was not the type of man to travel without security, unless he deemed it absolutely necessary.

Dom decided his best odds were to wait and gather as much information as he could, to learn as much as he could and perhaps better his odds.

_I'm sorry Bri. Just hang in the a little longer._

Dom didn't know how long he sat in his Charger, minutes may have only past, even hours for all he knew, but the next time he saw movement inside the shack the light in the sky was disappearing. Two men exited the building and got into one of the cars before driving off.

Just then something strange occurred to Dom, two people left the shack and then there was Brian and Camille inside and there probably were another two or three people inside. So, as Dom stared at the small shack, he wondered how all of them fit into a shack that looked like it could barely fit three people inside. The answer. A secret, underground basement. That made sense and explained why the cops couldn't find any drugs at Benny's place. And Dom bet that the underground basement was so tightly locked down that even the boys at the Pentagon would be impressed.

_Crap! Crap! And double crap!_

Well, there was nothing for it. This was probably the most he was ever going to learn just sitting here.

_Damn it!_

Dom hated moving into situations like this without a plan. Dom grabbed another handful of bullets from the box and pocketed them before placing the revolver into the waistband of his jeans, gangster style. He was going in now. His chances just rose when two of Camille's bodyguards left. He didn't want to miss an opportunity like this and also he wanted to get Brian out of there before Camille's bodyguards came back.

Dom swiftly stepped out of his Charger, quietly shutting the door behind him. Taking one final look around and noticing that the sun was slowly creeping down below the hills, Dom made a mad dash to the shed. As soon as he reached the door, he was careful to check around the place for any traps or anything that looked unusual. Everything looked fine, but Dom knew from experience that looks could be deceiving.

Dom carefully took out his revolver and held it securely in his hand before slowly reaching for the door knob to the front door. His calloused hand slid over smooth, cool metal as he gripped the knob in his hand, turning it slowly and satisfied when he heard a small click before the door creaked open.

Opening the door cautiously, Dom poked the barrel of the gun around it along with his head, checking to see if the coast was clear. He was a mixture between relieved and worried. He was relieved that he wasn't greeted with the wrong end of a gun, but he was also worried by that fact. If the security wasn't here guarding the place, then where were they?

Dom laid one heavy foot inside the shed, looking all around its four walls for anything that looked like an entrance to another room. There was a half opened door on one wall, but Dom could see that it led into a small bathroom. But still, it didn't hurt to check it out. He walked over to the door and slowly pushed it open, only to find a porcelain toilet, sink, and plastic shower curtain.

Satisfied that no trapdoors or hidden doors were hidden in there, Dom moved back to the small living area and made his way to the even smaller kitchen area. He quickly and quietly scoured the place, becoming agitated when his findings came up empty.

Dom carefully began checking the floor for any loose boards and almost cried out in joy when a few boards under a lamp started to creak. He gently placed the lamp aside and as quietly as he could, pried the boards off the floor. But where he hoped to find a stairway or, at least another door, he found only dirt.

_What! No, this can't be!_

Dom searched the room again, his eyes scanning over the shack, hoping to find something that maybe he had overlooked. But there was nothing.

_No! No! No! This just has to be the place! It just has to be! I have to save Brian!_

Dom, already in a crouching position, silently fell to his knees, his whole body going limp with despair and hopelessness. He had failed. And now Brian was going to pay for it. Dom slid a shaking hand over his head, feeling the stubble of hair growing back.

_I'm so sorry Brian. You sacrificed so much for me in the past, but I couldn't even save you when you needed me the most. I'm so sorry._

A picture of Camille doing unsavory things to Brian crossed Dom's mind, along with a beaten and bloody Brian being held close to Camille by the hair. And then Dom didn't know what he hated more, the things Camille was doing to Brian or that look that Brian had in his eyes. Those beautiful, bright blue eyes that were now dull, dead and unfeeling, looking directly at him, but not expecting him to save him.

_Oh God, Brian, I'm so sorry._

Camille's smug face appeared next in his mind, his smarmy smirk filled with pride and contempt. His tongue forming words that Dom had no desire to hear.

"He's mine. You couldn't save him."

Dom felt his anger run red hot, like a fire that's tip has turned white and could burn through anything. And in a moment of fury, Dom slammed his fist into the dirt as he vented some of his anger. But a strange thing happened then. When his fist made contact with the ground the sound that was returned was not that of a solid object meeting a dirt ground, but of an object meeting a metal surface.

Dom listened to the ringing of metal as it slowly died out and all that was left in its wake was silence. He was stunned as his fist ached and he sat there looking dumbly at the ground. He finally raised his fist after a minute and dusted away the inches of dirt that hid the metal door underneath it. Dom felt a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth as he gripped the small bar at the bottom of the door and pulled up.

He hadn't failed yet. And Brian was his, something that Camille was going to learn very soon.

**A/N: HAHAHAHAHA! Cliffhanger! I'm so evil! But, seriously, I need some time to write the confrontation between Camille and Dom. It has to be EPIC! And it totally needs a chapter to its self. You'd agree right? So, stay tuned for the epic meeting between Camille and Dom and find out what happens to Brian. And Dom. *grins evilly, knowing something you don't***


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Camille and Dom meet face to face for the first time in ten years. I'll admit not my best work, but it's been hectic for me lately. **

**Warnings: Violence.**

**Special thanks to ****SlytherinQueen020 and yes I am very very glad that you no longer threaten your authors when they leave cliffhangers, thank you. Starstop58****thanks for taking the time to stop and let me know how you felt about my story. Thanks tamy-blue for the review, it made me smile :) And what bad English? Your English is very good. Kisses from America! Melissen glad you liked it, I was a little if-y on if it was good or not. Thanks for reviewing. ChubbyTabby thanks for the review, and I seemed to have scared a lot of people with that part, but I'm glad you all enjoyed it. Melikalilly thanks for reading and being so patient with me. Live4StarWars, yes something good is coming up, thanks for your patience and for following along. DestinChild, thanks for the insight, and sorry to disappoint you, but Brian's POV isn't even going to be in this chapter, but I promise more awesomeness ahead- and cuddliness *hint, hint*. Rika100 glad to have another reader. Thanks for the review and I hope that I'm a good enough author to keep you following along.**

Chapter Eight - 

Camille laid back in his chair, plucking a bright red cherry from the bowl that sat next to him on the table. It was something that he had missed while in jail. Good food. Fresh food. He hummed in thought and watched as Brian paced back and forth in his small room, swaying slightly on his feet like he was intoxicated which, if Camille thought about it, Brian was. Camille was happy that he still had friends on the outside who still dealt in drugs, not that he couldn't get drugs if he needed to, just this way was easier, especially since he needed certain drugs for Brian's special drug cocktail.

A beeping noise caught his attention from one of his corner screens. Camille turned to face the TV screen and there trotting carefully down the metal hallway was Dom, a revolver held tight in his hands. Camille smirked, glad to see that Dom knew how to use one of those. He was going to need it.

"Well, well, well. I see you've finally come out of hiding," whispered Camille to himself as no one else was there in the small, security room. Two of his three bodyguards had left for the evening, but would be back at dawn. But Camille didn't really care. He wanted this fight to be between just him and Dom- only. And, besides, if worst came to worst, he still had Vikul on stand by. Vikul knew better than to interrupt him and Dom unless Camille pacifically called for him.

_I guess I should go greet my guest_, thought Camille, evilly, as he rose from his chair. _I wonder how happy Dom will be to see Brian._

Dom felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise higher the deeper he went into the underground, metal and concrete basement. Dom knew that Camille was too much of a safety freak not to know that he was already there. He suspected that there were hidden cameras everywhere, watching his every move. Dom repressed a shiver that he felt running down his spine. He was all too familiar with the feeling of being watched everywhere he went. It was like being in jail all over again.

The hallway he was walking down was very narrow, barely two people, walking chest to chest, could squeeze through it. The lights over his head were bright and seemed to be trying to burn a hole into the top of his head. Dom felt a fine sheen of sweat form over his skin and wondered if that was from the lights or his nerves, or both. His hand was gripping the butt of the revolver tight enough that the palm of his hand hurt, but that didn't matter. Nothing mattered except saving Brian.

He breathed heavily through his nose, the noise amplified in his own ears from the sheer silence of the hallway. As he crept deeper into the basement, Dom finally spotted a few doors just ahead of him. All made of steel and all shut tight and not revealing any of their secrets.

As Dom continued forward, drawing closer and closer to the row of doors that lined the hallway, the first door he approached clicked open. Dom jumped back an instant and waited to see if anyone came out. Minutes passed and still nothing happened, he realized then what Camille wanted him to do.

Checking himself one last time, Dom slowly made his way toward the open door, stopping only a moment when he reached it to peer warily inside. It was pitch black beyond the door, but Dom knew that Camille was waiting for him somewhere inside. He could feel Camille's cold and calculating eyes watching him as he moved into the room, the door slamming shut behind him once he entered fully. Dom didn't even flinch when he heard the click of a lock being slid into place behind his back.

"Dom," drew a lazy, yet amused voice from across the dark room. In the next minute, a light was turned on and Dom stood face to face with Camille Petrov. Dom drew up the revolver, quickly, until the barrel was lined up perfectly with Camille's head, pulling back the hammer as he did so. "Put it down."

Dom's jaw clenched tight, as did his hands around the butt of the gun. And even though he would have loved for nothing more than to bury a bullet deep in his skull, Dom knew that while Camille still had Brian he also held all the power. "Where is he!" Demanded Dom as the barrel of the gun started to, very, slowly lower.

"In a safe place for now," replied Camille, a relaxed yet excited smile playing at his lips. And Dom couldn't help but notice how the smile made Camille's eyes sparkle with an unnatural shine. "But that could change based on how you act. Drop the gun Dom and pass it over here to me."

Dom was reluctant at first, but after a hesitant moment he released the hammer on the revolver and dropped it to his feet before kicking it over to Camille, who effortlessly stopped its sliding with his foot. "Good boy Dom," stated Camille, cheekily, before bending over and picking up the gun.

"Where's Brian, Camille?"

"In a safe place, as I've said before."

"I want to see him."

"I knew you would," said Camille, his smug smile gnawing viciously at Dom as he moved to one side of the room, flipping a switch and revealing a wall of TV monitors. On closer inspection Dom realized that three of the six TV screens had Brian in them. Dom quickly made his way toward the screens and stared pensively at them, taking in Brian's appearance.

Brian didn't look to be in too bad a shape. At least, nothing like his dreams. He was a bit beat-up and scraggly looking, but no lasting damage. At least, nothing that Dom could see. Who know what horrors Camille could inflict mentally, though.

"The picture of health, wouldn't you say?" Asked Camille, coyly, as he gestured toward the mini Brian on the screens. "I'd take much better care of him than you would Dom."

"Alright Camille you have me here, now let him go," said Dom turning to face Camille.

"Not so fast," quickly replied Camille. "You should know nothing in life is ever that simple." Dom didn't like the sound of that.

"What do you want Camille?"

"I propose a bit of a trade. Him for you." Dom already realized this, and he knew that Camille was playing at some angle. "And here's how we're going to trade off. This will be your new... Let's say, accommodations." Camille explained as he motioned around to the small, metal room that encased them. "You can stay here, and watch Brian leave. Or if you choose, you can leave, but not before watching Brian die a very slow and painful death. It's up to you." Camille sauntered over to the door that Dom had entered through and with a quick twist of the knob the door came open easily. Camille held it open to Dom as he waited for Dom's answer, a smile that said he already knew what Dom's answer would be spread wide across his face.

"I'll stay," Dom said, his eyes taking in every small movement Camille made.

"I'm glad you saw it my way," replied Camille, walking out from behind the open door and leaving the room. "Oh, and one more thing," chirped Camille holding the door open behind him now. "Brian is free to leave. But only if he wants to."

Camille shut the door behind himself faster than Dom could run over to him, causing Dom to hit the metal door with so much force that he was sure he put a dent in it. "You bastard!" Screamed Dom, hitting the door with his fist. "You better let Brian go!"

Dom could still hear Camille's deep and mocking laugh even through the thick steel door. Hitting the door a few more times with his fists, Dom burned off some of his anger. "Bastard," cussed Dom to himself as he turned his attention back to the TV screens where Brian lay asleep on his bed.

_Well, at least, he's still alive and doing okay,_ thought Dom to himself, and that thought brought some amount of peace to him. Dom sat down on the floor, back against the door. Not like there was any furniture in the room to sit on anyway. _I'm sorry Bri. Just please, please, don't fall for any of Camille's tricks._

Dom knew that Camille was a slimy, tricking, ex-con, but he also knew that Camille was a man of his word. Even if his word was twisted and gnarled. He knew that Camille would let Brian go, if Brian wanted to leave, but he'd somehow trick Brian into thinking that he wanted to stay. Manipulative was a good word that described Camille.

_Please Brian just get out alive._

**A/N: Hey, sorry for the short chapter, but I've been busy taking care of my grandma. I was going to wait until I had more written, but I thought you guys had waited long enough and deserved something even if it was something short. Any grammar mistakes please point them out, I didn't have time to do as much editing as I would have liked, so any help from my readers would be a God sent. Thank you.**

**Thanks again for reading and reviewing, it's what keeps this story alive.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Special thanks to Antivertigo for the grammar help. The last few months have been hectic and I've read over that chapter so many times, my eyes felt like they were going to fall out of my skull, so your help was very appreciated. Melikalilly thanks for taking time out of your schedule to drop me a line, it lets me know that there are regulars out there that are still reading. And you can't ask that, you have to read and find out. SlytherinQueen020 thanks for the review and for following along. Also, did I tell you that I like your user name. I'm a big Harry Potter fan myself too. Rika100 thanks for the review and please keep reading this story has taken on a life of it's own. DestinChild thank you soooo much for the review, I'm glad you thought it was that good. Thank you! WookieCookie, thank you so much for the wonderful review, and your English is perfect to me. It's reviews like yours that make me feel good about writing my stories. I promise more Dom/Brian interactions in the future. And I'm so glad my writing style was easy to understand, that was what I was going for. Thanks again. Starstop58 thanks for the review and I totally agree with you there needs to be more F&F fiction in the world. And thanks for your concern about my grandmother. Yamanvie thanks for the reveiew and glad you think it's awesome. It makes me feel awesome now. Loki88 thanks for the review here is another chapter so please keep reading. Star Enchantress, thank you. I'm so glad they were in-character to you. I try so hard to do that. And yeah, I hate fics that make men really girly too. Arielsabik101 thanks for the review, it's what keeps me going, and please keep reading, heavier slash on the way.**

**Disclaimer: Jo Nesbo belongs to himself and so does his books. I don't own Sprite, other than the couple of cans I have in my fridge. And I don't even have one bag of Lays potato chips, sadly. : (**

Chapter Nine - 

Brian jolted awake when he heard the load creak of a door being opened. He jumped up from his position on the bed and instantly guarded himself.

"Whoa, calm down. It's just me," said Camille, softly, as he slowly approached Brian with a paper bag in one of his hands. "I brought you some food."

Brian calmed down slightly as he fully woke up. Scrubbing a hand down his face, he was able to release himself from the last of sleep's enthrallment. And it also helped him to realize that he really needed a shave. Camille smiled down at him as he walked over to Brian and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I hope you like egg mcmuffins and hash-browns," stated Camille holding out the bag to Brian.

"Yeah," answered Brian, gruffly, before clearing his throat and sitting up on the bed.

"Good. How'd you sleep last night?"

"Alright, I guess."

Brian took the bag from Camille and started to riffle through it before pulling out a sandwich, wrapped in plastic, from it. Brian unwrapped his sandwich and went to bite into it, but just as he got a bit of the sandwich in his mouth he paused and looked over at Camille who sat beside him, watching him with a wide smirk on his face.

Pulling the sandwich out of his mouth and giving Camille a curious look, Brian asked, "What?"

"Oh nothing," replied Camille. "It's just... Has anyone ever told you that you have a very beautiful mouth?"

Brian was taken back a bit, which he shouldn't have been, considering the guy had already molested him on multiple occasions. But it wasn't what he said that shocked Brian, but more of how he said it. Camille had said it in such a way that it had almost sounded sincere.

"Excuse me?" Asked Brian.

"Sorry. Forgive me. Allow me to be a bit more spacific. Has Dom ever told you how beautiful your mouth is?"

Brian jumped at the question. "N-no," stuttered Brian, choking on his own words. "Why would he?"

Camille just smirked wider at Brian before sliding closer to him on the bed. "Would you like him to?"

"What kind of question is that?" Demanded Brian, placing his sandwich down on the bed next to him as he tried to inconspicuously scoot away from Camille. But he never lost eye contact with the man, because that would be admitting defeat. And Brian would never admit defeat to a sleaze like Camille.

"How much do you like Dominic? How much would you do for him? How much would you give?"

"What?"

"I already know that you'd steal for him. Kill for him. Risk your life and job for him. But what else would you give up for him?" Camille moved closer to Brian until he was only about a hair's breath away from his face. "Well, what else would you give to him?"

Brian knew what Camille was asking. He also knew what he wanted to hear. But what he didn't know was what angle Camille was playing at. Long, slow moments pasted between the two men as they both sat there looking at each other, straight in the eye. Finally deciding on what to say, Brian opened his mouth only to have it ravished by Camille's.

"I would give you everything," whispered Camille against Brian's mouth as he urged Brian down onto the bed with his body.

"Really?" Breathed out Brian as he allowed Camille to lay him down on his back.

"Yeah," smirked down Camille at how easily he got Brian to submit to him. "So, tell me Brian, what is it you want." Camille bent down over Brian and slowly started kissing his way down the younger man's neck until he ran out of beautifully tanned skin, that disappeared under the collar of a light blue T-shirt.

Cool fingers grazed the soft skin that stretched over tight and defined abs. "I don't know," breathed Brian as his hands reached down and halted Camille's hand that was slowly creeping up his stomach. "I don't know anymore." Camille halted his explorations to allow Brian a moment of clarity. "I-I can't… I don't… I mean, we…"

Camille retracted his hand and made a slight shushing sound as he moved off of Brian. "No need to give me an answer right away." Camille moved over to the door and opened it. "Considering Dom is not coming for you."

Camille shut the door to Brian's room behind him, a grin spread wide across his face. Oh yes, this was turning out just as he had planned. He did hope Dom enjoyed the little show Brian and he had just given him. In fact, Camille hoped it got his blood boiling and his muscles tense with anger. It would be so much fun to beat him when he was pulsing with anger and testosterone and know that he couldn't fight back.

Camille chuckled to himself as he walked down the empty and dimly lit hallway. Brian would be his soon, so Camille saw no reason why he couldn't take a break. Leave Brian be for a while, let him think things over. And let Dom simmer a while longer. He had let Dom sit for about three days now, alone and isolated. His only visitor had been Vikul, and they never talked. Camille wanted Dom to feel as separated from the world as possible. And so far he was doing a good job at it, if he did say so himself.

Camille whistled happily to himself as he walked back to his room, deciding on settling in bed with a good book after he had a nice, long, hot shower and sent his two lackeys home. Vikul would of course stay, but the other two idiots could go home. They weren't much good for anything except strength and doing menial labor. No, the only one he could really rely on was himself. But he did put more faith in Vikul than his other lackeys.

Dom subconsciously felt his muscles tense and un-tense in a steady rhythm as he watched the TV screens in front of him. He was currently chained to the opposite side of the room. His hands and legs bound at his wrists and ankles. The chain allowed him the freedom to reach the small toilet and sink next to him and went about to the middle of the room, but not enough for him to reach the exit or the TVs.

Camille liked to tease and torture him by allowing Dom to see, but never touch. Dom had been trapped in his little hell hole for three days now. Well, at least, what he thought were three days. It was hard for Dom to judge time from his small, always lit, room.

Dom continued to watch the TV screens as Camille finished making out with Brian and exited Brian's room, without locking the door behind him. Oh, if only Brian knew he was free to leave whenever he wanted to. That he could just get up and open every door out of this place. But he didn't. Camille had played a dirty trick on Dom. And Dom swore if he ever escaped, Camille was a dead man.

His shirt felt sticky from sweat and his fingers twitched to move, but his legs felt cemented into place. The lights in his room were dim and the whole place was quiet, and yet, Brian still didn't feel he was ever truly alone.

Brian glanced up to a dark corner of the room where a red light showed that the camera attached there was still on. Still watching his every move. Still recording his every thought. His every breath.

Brian flung the covers off of him, jumped out of bed, and began to pace the room. He felt suffocated. Claustrophobic even. He ran a quick hand through his now long, curly hair, feeling beads of sweat roll down his forehead in the process.

Brian couldn't stop thinking. Not that he ever did stop thinking, but now it felt like someone had hit the NOS switch to his brain. Every second felt like he had three hundred different thoughts and sensations bombarding his mind and they never stayed long enough for him to process any of them. They just kept changing, morphing, mixing, until he could no longer keep anything straight in his head.

Feeling like his head was about to explode, Brian covered his ears with the palms of his head and tried to silently will the voices in his head to quiet down. The voices said things like, _"What am I you going to do?" "How am I going to survive?" "What happened to Dom? Mia?" "What's going to happen to me?" "What does Camille want with me?" "Oh, God, someone save me!"_

Brian squeezed his eyes shut as he took in a shallow, shaky half breath-half sob. His life was spiraling out of control and there was nothing he could do. It seemed he was going to be doomed to a life of being someone else's pet.

Releasing his breath and opening his eyes, Brian dropped his hands to his sides as the voices in his head got quieter. He could take beatings on a daily bases, ridicules, and even sexual molestation. But this… This weird psychological torture was something else. Camille was a master in his own rights. But he had one flaw in his plan. He underestimated Brian.

Camille had forgotten that Brian used to work for the police and then the FBI for a little while. And there were certain things that were taught to you in those establishments, and certain things you learned for yourself after working there for so long.

After Brian was able to steady his frazzled nerves and clear his mind, he was able to start the beginning of an escape plan. And the first step to doing that was to know all about his enemy.

Camille was smart, clever, and sadistic to an extend. He used pain to teach and discipline, but he never did any lasting damage, like a broken rib or a concussion, at least, not to Brian. In fact, even when molesting Brian, Camille did nothing that would constitute as rape. But Brian figured that he was one of those guys who couldn't get it up without complete submission from their partners.

Camille was slowly trying to break Brian down, until Brian's whole life collapsed in on him and the only thing left for him to cling to was Camille himself. He isolated Brian off from the rest of the world. Kept him locked away in his own little private cell where only he could see him. He came and talked to him every day. Listened to him. Comforted him. Tried to make him believe that Camille was his savior.

Every police officer who had ever been in a hostage situation knew what Camille was trying to do. Camille was trying to cause Brian to have Stockholm syndrome. He was trying to make Brian feel sympathy for him. He was trying to make Brian his own.

And there was only one thing to do then. Brian had to escape.

Two days had passed since Camille had first asked Brian what he wanted. Two days had passed since Dom watched Camille molest Brian. And two days had passed since Brian had formulated his escape plan.

Brian sat at the edge of his bed, quietly trying to brush back his hair from his face. It was growing out down to his eyebrows and it was annoying him. He was waiting for Camille to bring him his lunch and daily dose of whatever drug cocktail Camille had mixed up for him.

Brian had slowly been trying to gain Camille's trust. Allowing Camille more liberties and pretending to sympathize with him. And slowly, but surely, Brian began to notice that Camille began to lower the dosages to his drug.

As Brian smoothed out the wrinkles in his T-shirt the door to his room opened. Camille cheerily entered the room, syringe in one hand and a bag of food in the other. "Morning," greeted Camille as he walked over to Brian and sat the bag down on the night stand next to him.

"Morning," replied Brian as he forced a tired smile onto his face.

"I brought you some snacks, drinks, and a book. I hope you like Jo Nesbo," stated Camille as he dug through the bag, pulling out Lays chips, Sprite, and a thick, paperback book. "I'm afraid I have some other business I need to attend to today and won't be back until late tonight. So you'll be alone for most of the day."

"Oh, I-," stuttered Brian.

"But I promise tomorrow we can spend the whole day together, and if you promise to behave yourself, we could even go outside," continued Camille as he got the syringe ready and sat down next to Brian on the bed. "Would you like that?"

"Yes, I would," replied Brian, faking happiness with a forced smile as he held out his arm to Camille.

"I'm sorry it has to be like this," whispered Camille, something close to sincerity lacing his words as he gently took Brian's outstretched arm and prepped it for the needle.

"It doesn't have to be," whispered back Brian, soft blue eyes meeting Camille's before Camille quickly looked away and went back to doing what he was about to.

When Camille was done he stood to leave, but was stopped when Brian reached for him and grabbed him by his wrist. Meeting his eyes, Brian lifted himself off the bed and quickly pressed himself flush against Camille, chest to chest. And in the next second Brian was clumsily kissing the taller man.

Camille roughly gripped the back of Brian's head, getting a handful of golden brown curls. Camille tilted Brian's head back a bit, allowing him better access to Brian's mouth. Brian's hands had somehow fisted themselves into the front of Camille's shirt and when they pulled away from each other his fingers got tangled in the soft material.

"I promise," breathed Camille, untangling Brian's fingers from his shirt, "we'll spend all day tomorrow together." Brian let out a dejected sigh as he nodded his head and sat back down on the bed. "Don't worry. Today will fly by."

Giving Brian one last look, Camille left his room, closing the door softly behind him. Brian waited a few minutes, until he could no longer hear the soft tap of shoes on a concrete floor before smirking to himself.

_Today is the day. I have the perfect opportunity to escape, _thought Brian to himself. _I suppose it's now or never. Who knows if I'll ever get another chance like this._

Brian rose to his feet, noticing how his head felt dizzy from the drug. But he couldn't be bothered with that now. He was lucky that Camille had been lowering his dosages, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to leave the bed.

Glancing around the room, Brian tried to decide what he might need to escape. Nothing from the room, he decided. Then he looked down at his bare feet. He knew running around without any shoes was going to be Hell, but it couldn't be helped.

Grabbing a pen he stole from Camille, Brian walked over to the door, ready to try and pick it open with an ink pen. He didn't know if this was going to work, but Hell if he wasn't going to at least try.

Brian gripped the doorknob for support as he lowered himself into a squatting position, turning the knob in the process and surprising himself when the door came open, causing him to fall backwards onto his butt.

_Whoa! It's unlocked!_

Brian rose to his feet, stumbling a bit as he did so before gripping the door and peering outside. There was nothing but one long hallway with rows of doors on either side that Brian could see. But while one end of the hall got darker, the other end got brighter. He hoped that that meant sunlight. For where there was sunlight there was an exit.

**A/N: Tada? Well, not my best work. Sorry about that. I've been really busy. But the next chapter will be better, and I will try to get it up sooner. So thanks for reading and reviewing. And I promise, next chapter will be up sooner, I will try my hardest. But I've been busy and I've hit a writer's block. Actually, more like writer's wall. I know what I want, but for some reason I can't get it down on paper.**

**But please continue to read and review. Thank you.**

**Grammar mistakes. Spot any, let me know.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thanks again Antivertigo, I'm not too good at grammar and I beta all my stories myself, so your help is always appreciated. As are your reviews, thank you for following along with my story! And yes, SlytherinQueen020, Brian was tricking Camille, he did escape, but how is he to save Dom when he doesn't even know Dom has been captured? All will soon be revealed. Thanks for the interest in my story and thank you very, very much for the review. Thanks melissen for the review and your patience, it makes me so happy to know that I have steady followers like you who thought my story was good enough to follow since chapter one. Serenity Lhane, it's always a pleasure to accommodate my readers, and if I could I would more often. Thanks for dropping a line and letting me know that you're following along. Thanks DestinChild for the grammar help. I didn't even notice that I did that. I was laughing at what I wrote while reading your review. Thanks for the help and I hope you keep reading even though I have atrocious grammar. Hahaha. ****ellepha more has been added for your reading pleasure. Thanks for reviewing. The Ice Mistress, thanks for the **_**interesting**_** review, I hope I captivate you long enough to continue reading. WookieCookie, thank you, thank you so much for the wonderful review that melted my heart. And I hope the rest of my story lives up to your expectations. Thank you!**

**I also wanted to thank everyone who story alerted and faved this story, also everyone who author faved and alerted me. My inbox is always flooded, and it makes me so happy. Like I could just bubble over with joy. So thank you so much!**

Chapter Ten -

Brian made his wobbly way down the narrow hallway, pushing himself off the sides of the walls as he needed.

_Oh no, _thought Brian as his thoughts began to slow, his vision began to blur, and his movements became sluggish. He could feel the effects of Camille's drug starting to kick in. While not as bad as it had been when he first started taking it, Brian knew that soon he wouldn't be able to focus on any one thought and walking would become difficult.

Shaking his head to clear his foggy vision, Brian pushed on through the haze in his mind, focusing on making it toward the source of the bright light ahead of him. But as he continued forward, the light ahead of him changed. He heard stomping and then a slam as the bright light went out like a candle against a strong wind.

_Oh crap!_

Brian was right. What he saw had been sunlight and a way out, but someone had closed the door to the outside world and was on their way back now. He had to hide, and quickly.

Running to the closest door, Brian slammed his body against it to stop from swaying everywhere and tightly gripped the doorknob. He twisted the knob, hearing a click as he did so before opening it and ducking inside, quietly shutting it behind him once he was completely inside.

Dom watched the TV screens, silently, as Brian stood, walked over to Camille, and kissed him. He had never felt such a strange combination of shock, rage, jealously, hatred, pity, guilt, and longing in his life. He watched with disgust as Camille gripped Brian's head, pulling it back by his soft curls and exposing that beautiful, pale neck. Oh, how Dom would love nothing more than to pull Camille off Brian, beat him to death, and then take over where Camille had left off. It was only too bad that Dom realized his feelings now. When there was no hope of him ever seeing Brian again other than through a TV screen.

Dom leaned back against the wall and continued to watch as Camille told Brian that he'd be back soon, a heavy sigh escaping between his lips as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

Dom had lost track of how many days he had been stuck there. Or how many days it had been since he had last seen Mia. Or even how long it had been since he last saw that tall Russian dude with the lazy eye. He had lost all track of time and he didn't even care. All that he cared about was trapped in another room, like himself, and his sister who was, hopefully, hundreds of miles away and safe. If only one good thing had come out of all this, it was that Brian had managed to protect Mia. He had managed to stall the three assailants long enough for at least Mia to get away. Brian was a good man. No! A great man. Dom supposed that the saying was right. You never knew what you had till you lost it.

Dom was tired, (so very tired) but couldn't sleep. He wished he could, but every time he closed his eyes terrible memories surfaced along with terrible creations of his own imagination. Memories of Mia running to him afraid and with tears in her eyes, screaming out that Brian was in danger. Memories of Brian, bound and gagged and being shoved into the back of a car. And memories of Brian getting beat and molested, over and over again. But some of the worst things were of his own creation. The dreams he had were so real that sometimes Dom would wake up not knowing whether they really happened or not. And they were always the same; Brian laying on the floor slowly bleeding to death looking up at Dom with pain and pleading in his eyes. And always with his last breath Brian would ask Dom why he didn't save him.

Dom swallowed the lump in his throat as he squeezed his eyes tighter shut, trying to will the images in his head away. He was so tired. All he wanted was a few hours of peaceful sleep. Just a few hours then he'd be okay for awhile.

_Oh, God, _thought Dom, _this is worse than prison._

Dom sat quietly like that for a long while until he could feel the soft tendrils of sleep wrap themselves around his consciousness, slowly pulling him into sleep. But this sleep, Dom knew, would not be a peaceful one.

_Dom heard the roar of a loud engine, its deep and steady purr comforting to him. He noticed that he was in a garage that was familiar to him and yet not. He felt like he had been in that garage before, but nothing looked familiar._

"_Hey Kiddo," said a voice that Dom hadn't heard since he was little. Dom turned to see a tall, grease stained man walk around a black Charger. "My goodness, how you've grown."_

"_Dad," whispered Dom as he walked closer to the man who he recognized as his father._

"_How have you been Dominic?" Asked his father, sadly, as if he already knew the answer, which he probably did._

"_Is it really you?" Asked Dom, weakly, when he was only about a foot away._

"_Yeah, it really is," answered his father as he spread out his arms, motioning for his son to come closer. "Come here, give me a hug." Dom did without a second thought. Letting his father wrap his strong arms around him, Dom returned the hug. "It's so good to see you. I've missed you so much."_

_Dom felt the sting of unshed tears burn the back of his eyelids as he squeezed his father. "We've missed you too Dad."_

_Dom's father released him and looked over him, proudly. "Come on. I'm just fixing up the Charger, you can help me while you tell me all that you and your sister have been up to."_

_Dom followed his father over to the Charger, whose black paint shined more beautiful than Dom had ever seen it before. The hood was popped open and tools lay scattered all around on top of the work benches._

"_So, Dom, what have you been up to?"_

_Dom and his father talked for what felt like hours, each going about repairing the Charger, but it seemed that no matter how much they repaired of the Charger there always seemed to be more that needed to be fixed. Like an endless loop it seemed that the Charger would never get fixed. But that was okay with Dom. He was happy to just spend the rest of his life like this._

"_Are you really Dom?" Asked his father out of the blue._

"_What?" Asked Dom, sure that he hadn't said anything for the past ten minutes._

"_Happy to spend the rest of your life like this?" Explained his father. "Working on this cursed car? Spending all your time with your dead, old man?"_

"_What?"_

"_Because I think there are a lot of living people who would like you to spend the rest of your living life with them. In fact, I do believe that there is one in particular that you'd like to spend the rest of your life with."_

_Dom eyed his father, curiously, as flashes of faces came rushing back to him. Rico. Tego. Mia. But wouldn't they all be better off without him? _

"_No, no, no," continued his father. "You're forgetting someone. Someone very special to you. Someone who needs you now. Think Dominic. Think really hard."_

_Dom did remember someone, but just glimpses of them. For some reason it was so hard to remember this person. He knew it was important that he did, like life or death. Then why couldn't he?_

_A flash of golden curls danced across his memory, disappearing too quickly for him to remember a face. Long, tan fingers gripped the sweating neck of a corona bottle. A bright smile and warm laugh resonated through his head. But still he couldn't remember a name or face. Just sensations and emotions, sounds and feelings._

"_Come on Dom, you remember him," continued his father as Dom tried very hard to remember this person who meant so much to him. _

_He knew this person was special to him from the strong emotions that this person brought out in him. He remembered this person was beautiful, both inside and out. He remembered strong arms, a healthy laughter, a caring personality, a childish smile, and something else. Something awe inspiring. Something blue._

_Then it hit Dom like a ton of bricks. A smile like the sun, short, golden curls, and brilliant blue eyes. Brian! How could he have forgotten Brian?_

"_Brian!" Dom exclaimed. "I have to save Brian!"_

"_And you can," stated his father, a proud and confident smirk spread across his face._

Dom awoke from his sound sleep by a loud thud. He quickly straightened himself out and tensed up his muscles, ready for any attack, but none came and no one was in his room. Glancing around, Dom noticed that he was alone. Then where did that noise come from? In the next minute he heard a click which he knew from experience meant someone had unlocked his door and was about to come in.

Dom stiffened his jaw and sat himself up in a crouching position, ready to stand and defend himself if necessary. Although, how well he could defend himself he wasn't sure, but he was going to give it his best. He watched the door with an intense, hawk like stare, ready for anyone who came through it. Or so he thought.

Dom was more than surprised to see a mop of familiar, blond curls come tumbling through his door. Confused, Dom glanced back up at the TV screens and, sure enough, Brian was no where to be found on them. Dom turned his attention back to Brian, who had yet to notice that Dom was there, and had his ear pressed flush against the wood of the door. Obviously, Brian was listening for someone.

Slowly rising to his feet, Dom stared at the pale, blue eyed man in incredulity, still not believing that Brian was really just standing in front of him. As he rose fully to his feet the chains that bound his hands to the wall rattled and jingled as Dom moved up, but they moved down by the force of gravity, pulling Brian out of his intense concentration.

As Brian turned, frightened by a sound that was amplified in his own ears do to the silence of the room and his own fear, he was surprised to see who was standing before him.

_No way,_ thought Brian. _It just can't be._

"Brian," whispered Dom, softly. He was scared that if he spoke too loudly that Brian would somehow disappear and he would awaken only to find that it had all been a dream.

"Dom?" Questioned Brian also in a hushed voice with a slight tremble to it. Suddenly, Brian's feet felt very heavy, like they each were cemented into the foundation. Which was odd because if they had been Brian figured he'd know.

His movements were sluggish and he felt ready to fall over any moment, but Brian somehow made it over to where Dom was chained. "Dom, is it really you? Are you really here?" He asked, still not believing what he was seeing, so he reached out his hand and touched Dom's shoulder. Brian let out a half bark, half laugh when his fingers met with soft, warm flesh. "You are."

Dom could only nod his head in agreement, too speechless to make his tongue be of any use. They stayed like that for a moment or two, just staring at each other, Brian's hand now fully resting on Dom's shoulder.

"I-I thought," stuttered Brian, breaking the silence, "Camille said- So, I thought that meant that he- And you were… Were dead."

Dom shook his head. It was the only thing he could do. For the first time in his life words seemed to evade him. But it didn't seem like Brian was having much more luck than he was at the moment.

"How long have you been here?" Asked Brian, finally taking in Dom's worn out appearance.

"I don't know for sure," answered Dom, gruffly, shocked by sound of his gravely voice from under-use. Clearing his throat, he continued, "Brian you need to get out of here."

"Yeah," mumbled Brian, absentmindedly, too consumed in looking over the chains around Dom's ankles and wrists to pay attention to what Dom was actually saying.

"Brian!" Barked Dom in a low voice, angry that the blond was ignoring him. "Get out of here while you still can!"

"Not without you!" Barked back Brian, finally looking up at Dom and meeting his eyes. Dom was taken back for a minute, forgetting just how intense those blue eyes could get and how fierce they could look. "I'm going to try and pick the locks."

"Okay," whispered Dom, still stunned by the intensity of Brian's blue eyes.

Getting down on his knees Brian looked over the metal cuffs around Dom's wrists. He wouldn't be able to pick that with an ink pen. But maybe if he took the pen apart and used the pieces inside of it he might be able to. It was worth a try.

Brian pulled out the pen from his pocket and started to break it apart. Dom just stared at him, curiously.

_What does the Buster have in mind?_ Questioned Dom as he continued to watch Brian. He always knew that Brian was a resourceful one and clever with both his hands and tongue, that's what always made him dangerous.

Using a small, straight piece of plastic and a piece of thin metal that Brian had somehow scavenged from the pen, he began to try and pick the lock to Dom's left cuff open. It may have taken fifteen minutes, but Brian somehow managed to pull it off.

Dom stared at his free left wrist in shock and awe and then pride. If anyone could have done it, it would have to be his Buster. Dom then looked down at his other wrist that Brian was now diligently working on. Brian was working hard, but something seemed wrong. Brian's hand kept slipping, he was perspiring more, and he was constantly rubbing his eyes like something was in them. Then it dawned on Dom what was wrong with Brian. The drug that Camille was constantly pumping into Brian's system was probably now in full effect, giving Brian a difficult time with his job.

"Brian, are you okay?" Asked Dom, concerned if Brian was pushing himself too hard.

"Yeah, I'm fine," mumbled back Brian, not looking away from what he was doing, but stopping to wipe at his eyes again.

After another grueling sixteen minutes Brian was able to free Dom's right wrist, but now he was panting hard and his vision was so blurry that, to Brian, there looked to be a permanent fog everywhere.

"Give those to me," said Dom as he kneeled down in front of Brian and held out his hands for the lock picking tools. Brian looked up at him, eyes watery and brow dripping with sweat. Brian found it pathetic how worn out he got from just picking two locks. Sighing heavily, Brian stretched out his hand and shakily released the tools into Dom's steady hand.

Dom did not like the way Brian's hands were shaking or the way he was breathing so hard. He needed to get Brian out of there and fast. Taking the tools, Dom set to work on trying to pick the locks at his ankles. But just as he got started and Brian sat down, the door to his room swung open.

Dom and Brian both looked up, simultaneously, to the figure standing at the door. Brian's blood ran ice cold as his heart leapt up to his throat. There silhouetted by the bright florescent lights of the hall stool Vikul, all 243 imposing pounds of him. Brian and Dom sat as still as stone.

Vikul let out a hoarse growl before angrily spitting out, "Stupid suka," and marching over to were Brian sat.

Brian tried to scramble to his feet. There was going to be a fight and since Dom was still chained to the wall, Brian knew it was going to be between him and Vikul. Brian didn't hold much hope of himself lasting very long in a fight, but maybe he could hold him off long enough for Dom to get free. If he could just manage that then he'd be okay with dying like this.

Trying to place his feet under himself, Brian tried to stand quickly, but his feet wouldn't cooperate with him and he slipped twice before managing to get to his knees. Vikul laughed at the spectacle.

"Aw, what's the matter? Poor suka can't get to his feet?" Mocked Vikul.

"No, he can't. But I can," stated Dom, next to Vikul in an instant, one leg free while the other one was still chained to the floor. Dom pulled back his fist and landed a perfect shot right across the big man's jaw, sending Vikul reeling back a bit.

Dom was seeing red with anger as he clenched his fists tighter together. No one was going to hurt Brian anymore. In the next second, Vikul came at Dom, swinging his own fists. Dom put up his arms as Vikul came at him with a right jab to the face, effectively blocking the blow. Dom came back with a jab of his own, but his landed perfectly across Vikul's ribs. The big man didn't even look like he felt it, which was pretty impressive considering Dom was no chump when it came to throwing punches.

Reeling back his fist, Dom continued to throw punches into Vikul's ribs. After about three more, Vikul was able to maneuver his arm around and sent a punch straight to Dom's chin, pushing Dom off of him and stopping his onslaught of punches. Dom took a step back, catching himself before attacking Vikul again. He couldn't let up off of Vikul even for a second. Brian's life was on the line.

Dom went as far as the chain on his ankle would let him, stretching it out every centimeter he could. He kept himself firmly between Vikul and Brian. There was no way he was letting the brute near his Brian.

Brian could only stare on in horror as the big Russian and Dom went one on one in front of him, throwing punches everywhere. Everything seemed to move in slow motion to Brian, his mind too muddled to focus on anything and his body too tired to want to move. But in his moments of clarity Brian knew that he had to do something to help Dom. But what?

Dom was hating the chain attached to his leg at the moment. Vikul knew that the chain was keeping him attached to the wall, so Vikul would throw a punch and then back off to were Dom couldn't reach.

_Douche._

Dom would reach for Vikul, only to be stopped short by the tight pull of the chain. It went on like this for a while before Brian was able to stand on his own two feet and able to see straight in front of himself.

Knowing that if he didn't do something soon Dom would be dead when Camille returned, Brian willed all the strength he could and took of in a dead run toward Vikul, slamming his whole body into him right across Vikul midsection.

Vikul's lungs released all the air they held as he and Brian went toppling over and onto the floor. Using the element of surprise, Brian managed to land two punches at Vikul's face and a kick to his thigh before he was forcibly pushed off of Vikul.

Dom stood momentarily surprised when he reeled back to hit Vikul and instead saw Vikul go toppling to the ground. Dom didn't have time to react before Brian landed a few punches and was pushed across the room, his back hitting the wall with an ominous thud. Dom did not like that sound. He liked even less how Brian's head flopped around like a lifeless rag doll and how afterward he just sat there, motionless.

Feeling nothing but pure rage, Dom practically blacked out for a moment, his vision blurring around the edges. The only sound he could hear was the rush of his blood running quickly, furiously, through his head. When he came back to he was on top of an unconscious Vikul who was black, blue and red. His fists stung and were busted and bloody.

_Whoa,_ thought Dom to himself, just now noticing that in his rage he had managed to break himself free of the chain. _Weak link._

Finally coming down from his high, Dom took a few breaths to calm his shaking hands as the adrenaline wore off.

_Brian!_

Turning around he spotted the blond, still limp and unresponsive propped up in an uncomfortable position against the wall. Dom quickly ran over to him before kneeling before him and looking him over.

He was breathing, which was always a good thing, but that didn't mean he didn't suffer some brain damage. Gently checking for any broken bones, Dom ran his hands carefully over Brian's body, making sure that there were no bones sticking up at odd angles or anything.

"Brian," called Dom, softly as he gently patted the side of Brian's face. "If you can hear me, please wake up. You need to wake up. Please."

Dom continued to gently slap Brian across the face. He needed him to wake up. But after a few minutes it looked like he wasn't going to. Dom felt himself begin to shake and it wasn't from the adrenaline. "Bri?" He tried again, but when he got no response he felt warm tear burn the insides of his eyelids. "Oh, God, Brian. I'm so sorry. If I had only been stronger. Or faster. Or… I'm so sorry." The warm tears stinging his eyelids finally spilled over and dripped down his face.

Dom squeezed his eyes shut tightly, using the one hand that wasn't cupping Brian's cheek to furiously scrub away his tears. As Dom was getting the last of the tears off of his cheeks a sound stopped him in his tracks.

It sounded like someone was literally gargling words. Dom looked down at Brian, who's eyes moved behind his eyelids and lips moved. "Gah, my head hurts," mumbled Brian as his eyes slowly opened. "Dom."

Dom couldn't contain his joy at seeing those baby blue eyes looking at him again. "Brian!" He practically cried.

"Dom," said Brian again, "let's get out of here. And can we stop somewhere and get me something for my major headache?"

Dom couldn't help but laugh. Count on Brian to make a joke out of a serious situation. "Sure we can Buster," answered Dom as he bent down closer to Brian, lifting one of Brian's arms up and hauling it over his shoulder. "Let's get out of here."

Dom easily hoisted Brian and himself off of the floor, even after being beaten and practically starved for a week, Dom knew that when it came to Brian he would always find the strength. Always.

**A/N: And there's another chapter up. See? I promised that I'd have it up sooner than the last one and I did. I am ashamed to say, though, that I wasn't too proud of my last chapter. It ate at me until I wrote a better, longer one. If you like it let me know so I will keep writing. Let me hear your thoughts on this chapter or what not. Hate it? State it. Just try and be constructive about it. I love to hear your thoughts!**

**Grammar mistakes are possible, I'm only human after all.**

**Thanks again to everyone for reading and sticking with me through this long story.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Okay, so I know that some of you were disappointed about the last chapter with the way Dom and Brian finally met up, but I promise I wrote it that way for a reason. And if you stick with it I promise the drama is only starting. I mean, seriously, this is where the comforting begins. And cuddling, etc.**

**Thanks to melissen, SlytherinQueen020 for the reviews, and I'm sorry that the last chapter wasn't as good as you guys expected, but pleeeeease continue to read because, I promise if drama is what you're wanting, more drama is coming. DestinChild thanks for the review and I'm so glad you liked it. And there is more Dom being all alpha male ahead. The Ice Mistress thanks so much for the review and this chapter should answer your questions, please enjoy! Thanks for the review and for reading, Serenity Lhane. WookieCookie thank you so much for the wonderful review, you made my heart soar with happiness. Thank you, thank you, thank you a million times over. Also, always trust your gut instincts ;). Melikalilly thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked this chapter :). Starstop58 thank you for the review, and yes it was about time they got together, now read to see what happens while they're together. Sm0kr420 thank you for the reviews and here is the long awaited continuation, please enjoy. Isugirl thanks for the review and I'm so happy you liked my little twist at the end there. Yuki Strife thanks for the review and I hope I've captivated you enough to keep you reading.**

**Special thanks to Rika100, Unamerican, 21JumpStreetMcQuaids, BobWhite, Noukon Kitsune, and yaoimistress16 for the reviews and the encouragement to keep going. Thank you all!**

Chapter Eleven -

Dom remembered exactly how he had gotten into Camille's creepy drug basement/storageplace for captives as he practically dragged a semi-conscious Brian down the narrow halls, which was very difficult seeing as how they both could barely squeeze down the tight corridor.

Every second that passed felt like an eternity to Dom, and he couldn't seem to move fast enough out of there. Thinking about it, Dom realized he could move faster, but not with Brian in the condition that he was in. With every step they took Dom could feel Brian leaning more and more onto him, his feet became heavy, and his movements uncoordinated.

After what felt like years, Dom spotted the secret door that he had come in through. "Hang in there Brian," whispered Dom as he drew Brian closer to himself. There was only one problem now. How was he going to get both himself and a semi-conscious Brian up the ladder which led to the shack, which would lead to their escape?

Dom paused at the ladder, staring up at the heavy, metal door above them. Dom could only see one way of doing this. "Sorry Bri," whispered Dom as he sat Brian down and leaned him up against the wall. "But I'm going to have to leave you here for a minute or two."

Brian looked curiously at Dom for a second before what Dom was saying sunk in. Brian looked hurt and confused for no more than a split second before masking his true feelings away behind a tired smile. "Yeah, I understand," slurred Brian, drunkenly.

Dom felt bad and almost reconsidered leaving Brian after he had seen that look. He knew that Brian hadn't wanted him to see it and was trying to cover it with an easy smile. But even if Dom hadn't seen his hurt look, Dom knew Brian better than that.

"I promise I'll be right back," stated Dom as he rose to his feet, still staring down at Brian. "Yell if anyone else comes by."

"Okay."

Dom turned away from Brian a bit reluctantly, but he knew that he had to do this if he was going to get them out of there. Climbing up the ladder, Dom reached out one hand to the metal door above him and gently pushed, testing to see if it would open. To his surprise, it did without protest. Peeking out of the crack he had made in the door, Dom looked around to make sure that there was no one around inside the shack. It appeared to be empty, but Dom proceeded with extreme caution.

He slowly opened the hatch further, ready for an ambush if one happened, his muscles drawn taut in anticipation. But after a few uneventful minutes, Dom opened the hatch all the way and looked completely around the room. There was no one. Dom didn't know if he was relieved or more fearful.

Dom took one more glance back down at Brian, who was leaning, limply, against the wall, eyes half lidded, but still conscious , even if only barely. Satisfied that Brian would be okay for a minute, Dom disappeared into the small shack and made a dash for the front door. He was careful to make as little noise as he could as he crept through the flimsy house. Reaching the front door, body alight with the type of adrenaline and anticipation that one only gets from fear, Dom gripped the door knob with a clammy hand. Twisting until he heard a soft click before pulling the door open and taking a cautious peek outside.

It was all clear outside too. This almost seemed too easy. Where the heck was Camille? What other business could have been so important that he just had to up and leave two prisoners behind with only one guard? Something just wasn't sitting right with Dom, like that one time he ate that leftover risotto before seeing the green fuzzy thing that had made the bottom on the dish its home. He was sick for days after that. For a moment Dom found it weird how he was comparing food poisoning to this. They were so clearly unrelated that he was worried for a moment that he might have been drugged.

He really needed to focus. Doing a quick survey of the premises showed that no one else was there. And that there were also no vehicles.

_What the f*ck! _Cursed Dom to himself as he walked around the tiny shack. Had Camille left with the only mode of transportation? If that were the case Dom was just going to have to carry Brian and himself across the desert like plain and out of there.

Just when Dom had resolved to drag Brian out of there, he caught the glint of sunlight off something that was unmistakably metal in the distance. Hurrying to where he saw this metal, Dom was elated to find two black sedans parked conveniently behind a rather impressive looking boulder. There seemed to be a lot of giant boulders where ever they were at.

Picking one at random, Dom checked the car over carefully. There were no bugs, bombs, or traps as far as he could tell, and the car seemed to be unlocked. He opened the driver's side door, the dome light overhead coming on as he did so. It was unlocked, but the keys were no where to be seen.

_Camille and Vikul are probably the only two who have the keys,_ thought Dom to himself after he had checked over the car three times for any place to hide the keys. _But there's no way I'm checking Vikul for them. I've already left Brian alone for too long._

Dom reached under the steering wheel, ready to hotwire the car. It was at times like these where being a car fanatic really came in handy. The car roared to life under Dom's touch and steadily continued to purr as Dom moved out from under the steering wheel. Dom felt a moment of pride as he listened to the engine and began to look the car over. Other than it only had half a tank of gas, everything seemed to be fine with the car.

_Okay, now to get Brian._

Dom left the door to the car open and made a dash back to the shack and down the secret hatch. Brian was right where he had last left him. Brian's head bobbed up and down as Brian tried his best to stay awake. "Brian," called Dom from above him. Brian's head snapped up at the bigger man.

"Dom," slurred Brian. "Can we go now? I'm exhausted."

"Yeah," breathed out Dom as he slowly started to descend back down the ladder. "Come on Buster. Let's get out of here." Dom stood carefully in front of Brian for a second before leaning down and gripping him before then preceding to throw Brian over one of his broad shoulders.

Brian was lighter than he should have been, not sickly so, but enough to make Dom's stomach twist up in knots. And even though Dom had lifted much heavier things than the young man, Dom found this simple act laborious. Dom knew it was because of his own time in captivity that had weakened him. But he couldn't dwell on that now. Brian had fallen asleep as soon as he had been flung over Dom's shoulder and now just hung limply there. Dom didn't know whether to feel relieved or worried by this.

Climbing up the ladder using only one arm and having to carry an unconscious person too, was much harder than Dom had originally thought, even when the ladder was relatively short. By the time he reached the top and had sort of flung/placed down Brian gently onto the floor, Dom had broken out into a sweat and was breathing hard.

After getting himself into the shack, Dom checked over Brian. He seemed fine. He was breathing okay and his pulse was normal, it would seem that he was just unconscious. Taking a second to catch his breath, Dom leaned over Brian and looked him over. The younger man was a bit too pale, a bit too skinny, and the dark bags under his eyes were a stark contrast to his skin. Dom was very concerned for Brian's all-around well-being. Although, he couldn't blame Brian for not sleeping well, God only knew that Dom hadn't slept well either.

Dom carefully lifted Brian up into his arms, after resting for a minute. Carrying Brian bridal style out of the shack, Dom was careful to mind Brian's head and was even more gentle with him as he laid Brain out in the backseat of the car.

_Now to get the Hell outta here._

Dom easily slipped into the driver's seat of the car, closing the door with a light thud. He glanced once more to the sleeping body in the back seat before placing the car in drive and pulling onto the dirt road ahead.

The sky overhead was getting darker with every passing minute, all Dom could hear was the steady purr of the engine and Brian's soft breathing coming from the backseat. Something about that combination of sounds put Dom at ease. He was still jittery and on edge, but something about the feel of a powerful engine under him and the knowledge that Brian was safe and close helped him not to completely lose his head.

Again Dom glanced to the backseat, Brian's head laid halfway off the seat halfway on it, but for the first time in a long time he looked to Dom to be sleeping peacefully. Dom let out a contented sigh as the bright lights of Vegas came into view.

_Good,_ thought Dom. He was running out of gas and he really should ditch the car as soon as he could.

Pulling into the first mini-mart Dom spotted on the outskirts of Vegas, Dom parked the sedan next to an empty red car with a spoiler on the back. Dom carefully checked the surrounding lot, it was dark and he didn't see anyone else there. Digging through the glove compartment of the sedan he procured a few items that he thought he could use in order to jack the car next to them.

The overhead dome light was blinding in the darkness of the parking lot as Dom got out of the sedan, closing the car door behind him with a heavy thud. His boots crunched against the gravel as he walked, steadily, over to the other car, staying vigilant for any passersby.

Dom was pleased when the car opened without incident under his careful touch. The last thing he needed was a car alarm going off. Moving back over to the car that he had taken from Camille, he opened the back door and pulled out a sleeping Brian. Dom carefully lifted Brian up into his arms, rolling Brian's head back gently until it rested softly against his shoulder.

_I'm sorry Bri. _Dom looked down at the sleeping form in his arms, chest twisting in pain, angry at himself for letting Camille hurt Brian. _But I promise that I won't let him or anyone else hurt you ever again._

Dom placed the still unconscious Brian in the back seat of the little red, sports car, making sure that Brian wasn't going to roll off the seat as they drove before getting into the driver's seat himself.

As Dom hotwired the car to life and pulled out of the parking lot, he made a mental list of things that he would need.

_Alright, I got half a tan of gas and not far to go. All I need to do is get to the safe house. From there I can get Brian medical attention and contact Mia- Crap!_

Dom mentally cursed at himself. Everything he needed, including phone numbers, addresses, and fake IDs, were all in Brian's bag which was currently in the back of his Charger that was somewhere only Camille knew.

_Crap! What are we going to do now! _Dom's grip on the steering wheel tightened in frustration, but he quickly took in some deep breaths to calm himself. _Calm down. It won't do anyone any good just blowing up over this. I'll deal with the details later, right now I need to focus on getting to the safe house and getting Brian some medical attention._

Calming down a bit and maneuvering through the dark, back alleys of Vegas, Dom was thankful that he had the foresight to call in a few favors when he had first come into the city. Recognizing the flashing, neon sign of a local bar that was situated across the street from a very bland, unsuspecting looking apartment building, Dom pulled into an alley that was closest to the bar.

Taking one last glance into the backseat, Dom opened his door and took off towards the front door of the bland looking building across from the bar. He stopped short in front of the wooden obstacle that kept him from getting in, and began banging furiously on it.

"I'm coming!" Dom heard someone yell from inside. "Who's there?" Asked the voice, not opening the door just yet.

"Daniel, it's Dom. Open up!" Yelled Dom.

Dom heard the scrape of a lock being turned and then the jingle of a chain as the door was slowly opened. "Dom?" Asked a rather tall, lanky looking fellow with a head of dirty blond hair. "For awhile there I thought you were dead."

"You got everything I asked you for?" Questioned Dom as he took in Daniel's appearance. It was obvious that the man had been asleep when Dom had arrived. Daniel stood at an impressive six feet, four inches tall and in nothing but his boxers. The man was definitely not expecting company.

"Yeah," answered Daniel with a stifled yawn. "I set two of the spare bedrooms up to your exact specifications."

"Okay, good. Now get some clothes on, there's some errands I need you to run."

Dom dashed back toward the alley as Daniel disappeared into his house to find some clothes. Dom made a mental list of things he and Brian were going to need and things that needed to be done while they stayed here. Because it was obvious that they were going to be here for awhile.

Dom carefully scooped up Brian into his arms again, and started feeling guilty about liking carrying Brian so much. Brian was certainly no damsel in distress, and Dom was sure that a conscious Brian would be less cooperative than an unconscious one. Dom could just see Brian now, protesting every step of the way about being carried like some helpless princess from a fairytale, even as he was bleeding and about to fall asleep. Dom laughed, he hoped he'd get to see that Brian again soon. He missed him.

But as Dom carried Brian bridal style across the street, another thought came to mind. What if conscious Brian wouldn't protest quite as much as Dom thought? What if, in fact, conscious Brian liked being carried by Dom? Images of Brian wrapping his arms tightly around Dom's neck and smiling up at him had Dom slowing in his steps. His thoughts slowly morphed from an angry and humiliated Brian to a seductive and playful Brian, who looked smugly up at Dom through his lashes before leaning up and kissing Dom full on the mouth.

Dom shook his head free of those thoughts as he felt heat start rising up through his body. Now was definitely not a good time to get aroused. He picked up his pace once more and continued to carry Brian into the house, where a now fully dressed Daniel awaited.

"The rooms are down the hall on the first floor like you requested," stated Daniel, moving aside so that Dom could carry Brian to the rooms. "Is that him?"

"Yeah," replied Dom gruffly.

"He looks sickly. Do you know what's wrong with him?"

"Not sure, but I'm thinking he's just malnourished and got pumped up with a mixture of drugs."

"Damn. We gonna need a doctor?"

"I don't know," Dom whispered, dejectedly, as they came to an empty room. "I'm not really sure what Camille was giving him. I'm hoping cutting him completely off from it and so drastically won't hurt him too much."

Daniel hummed in thought as Dom gently placed Brian down on the bed, checking him over once more. "I have a friend who's a bit more qualified in the medical field than me," started Daniel. "I could call her and have her come over and take a look at your friend if you'd like."

"It's unwise to have more than a handful of people know where we are," replied Dom, before he was immediately cut off by Daniel.

"She's trustworthy!" Blurted out Daniel, hastily. Dom looked up at Daniel, a look of uncertainty in his eyes. He wanted to get some real medical help for Brian, but also didn't want to put him in any more danger by telling more people than necessary where they were. Dom was sure Camille had informants all around Vegas. But, dang it, if Dom wasn't worried as hell for Brian's life! It was killing Dom not knowing what drugs Camille was constantly giving Brian and what long term effects it would have on him.

"Alright," conceded Dom with a sigh. "But don't call her just yet. I wanna watch Brian for a few days and see how he does before I jump to any conclusions."

"Alright Dom," replied Daniel as he moved to the mini-fridge he kept in the corner. "I guess it's safe to assume that we're gonna need to hook him up to an IV and drip fluids to him?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure we are."

Daniel moved to a shelf that was kept near the mini-fridge that was stocked with medicine and other medical essentials. "I have an IV and stuff in the other room too. I didn't know what kinda shape you and your friend would be in if you got here."

Dom hummed thoughtfully to let Daniel know he was listening as he moved back over to Brian's side, pulling the blankets out from under him and instead placing them over top of him.

"To be honest," continued Daniel as he connected IV bags to a pole, "I was shocked when you first came by and asked me to get two rooms ready and stocked up with as much medical supplies as I could get my hands on. For a second, I thought you wanted to use my apartment building as a torture chamber or something, since at the time you didn't look hurt at all. Except for that bloody gash on your arm you had me patch up, that is."

Daniel moved over to the side of the bed with Dom and sterilized the back of Brian's hand, after finding the peripheral vein that was located there. In a matter of minutes Daniel had efficiently hooked up Brian to the IV.

For someone who dropped out of medical school and instead opened a bar and owned his own apartment complex, Dom had to admit that Daniel never lost his edge. He handled the IV like he had been doing it all his life.

"Thanks Daniel," stated Dom as he and Daniel walked out of Brian's room, closing the door behind them as they went.

"No problem Dom," replied Daniel, giving Dom a big smile, looking for all the world unworried and carefree. "Now what were these errands you needed me to run?"

Dom scrubbed a tired hand down his face. There was stubble there; he'd need to shave. "There's a red sports car in the alley I need you to get rid of. Make it untraceable. Then I'm gonna need another car. Something that blends in, but is fast. Then some fake passports. You know anyone who can do that?"

Daniel gave him a look that made Dom quietly think that it made him look like he was trying to take a dump, which Dom figured was his concentrating really hard look. Daniel had always been a odd one.

"I think I might know someone," finally replied Daniel. "But I'd have to do some stealthy looking around first."

"Yeah, you do that, but later. Keep a low profile for now." For some reason Dom was getting sleepier and sleepier by the minute.

"Yeah, I will, but I think it would be good to get rid of that car now," replied Daniel, that carefree, easy-go-lucky smile returning to his face. "Why don't you just go rest for now, okay? Unless you have some wounds you need me to patch up."

"Naw, I'm good." If there was one thing that Dom would give Camille it was his ability to torture then heal a person. He knew just how much of a beating the human body could withstand and for how long until it needed to be repaired. He had repeatedly beaten and then patched up Dom over the course of however long he had been Camille's captive. Dom, himself, was even unsure exactly how long that had been.

"Good, then go lay down. I'll take care of the rest."

Dom nodded and turned to walk down the hallway when both he and Daniel heard a loud thump come from the far end of the hall. It sounded like it was coming from Daniel's room. Dom paused in his steps and turned to look at Daniel, one eyebrow up in question. "Toby?" Asked Dom.

Daniel gave Dom a sheepish grin as he shrugged. "Yeah," Daniel answered. "He doesn't like it when I'm gone from him too long. He gets antsy, as you can tell."

Dom laughed. "And how is he?"

"Good. Eating me out of house and home. But, hey, he's a big boy, it's to be expected, I guess."

"Well then, you should hurry up so you don't keep him waiting too long. I'd hate to see what he'd do if he got really impatient."

And with that Dom made his way back to his own room, that conveniently had a connecting door with Brian's. Daniel set off to get rid of the car Dom had stolen and work on getting him an new, fast, and untraceable one.

**A/N: This really shouldn't have taken me this long to write this, but it did. With all the stress I've been having lately, I kind of gave myself a writer's block. So, it's all my fault this took so long to write and I'm sorry for that. But I want to thank everyone who is still following my story despite how long the wait between each chapter is, thank you.**

**Grammar mistakes. If you spot some let me know so that when the story is completely finished I can come back and fix them all at once. Thank you.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Warnings! Sexual content ahead, nothing too explicit yet. If slash is not your thing please don't read. All hate mail, hate reviews, and etc. regarding slash, gay dudes or girls will be ignored. Thank you.**

**Special thanks to SlytherinQueen020 for the review, here is the chapter with more alpha, concerned Dom and Brian interactions. Thanks Melikalilly I'm glad you liked thought my previous chapter was cute, and I hope this one really tickles your senses since Brian wakes up. Rika100 thanks for the review and reading : ). Serenity Lhane thanks for the review and your welcome for the update. Melissen glad you enjoyed the last chapter, but this is where things get interesting and the drama really starts, I hope you like it! 21JumpStreetMcQuaids here's your update, thanks for reviewing and letting me know your reading along. Marchling thank you so much for the review! And realistic is what I try for and I'm glad you thought I got it. Thank you! DestinChild thank you for the review and for reading, this is the chapter where stuff starts getting interesting. Cinnamon-Romanji thanks for the review and I'm glad you like it so far. NicVic thank you for the very informative review. Reviews like yours always make me so happy and they are immensely helpful in knowing what my readers like to read. So thank you. And yes things are going okay in my private life, thanks for the concern. And cuddles are just ahead. WookieCookie it's always a pleasure reading your reviews. They are always so helpful. So thank you for that. Always trust your instincts, is what I saw, and if you feel like something bad's about to happen, then you're probably right ; ). And yes there will be sex scenes, but those are towards the end, but that doesn't mean there's not gonna be some "interactions" in between now and then. Sckraut12 thanks for the review and here is the update. Thanks for the update ellepha, and yeah, hitting a writer's block upsets everyone. lame tortoise, thanks for the review and here is another update to get you excited. And there really does need to be more fan fiction for this awesome fandom. , thank you for the reviews and for helping me with my grammar. Hopefully, your grammar Nazi-ing my butt will teach me a thing or two about grammar. And where I'm from we have words of our own too (iffy). Like my personal favorite that my grandma uses when addressing us grandchildren. You'ens (idk, how to spell it. Pronounced long u sound and short e) should means something along the lines of "you guys". Used in a sentence, "You'ens better get that done quick." WickedBlue thanks so much for the review, I'm glad you enjoy it so much. ^_^**

**And thanks to everyone else who enjoys reading my story. Thanks for reading!**

Chapter Twelve - 

Dom checked in on Brian one last time before heading off to his own room, leaving the door that connected their two rooms open. Dom told himself that he was just going to grab a quick shower and then head off to bed. And he was going to stick with that plan too. Really he was. But as he slipped into the clean clothes that Daniel had gotten him after his short shower, he wasn't that tired anymore.

Dom was still a ball of nervous energy and worries. Letting out a tired sigh, Dom decided to see how Brian was doing.

Brian remembered blood. Yeah, blood, and sweat, and tears. Something else too. Someone else. A familiar voice calling to him and then the weightless feeling of floating.

"_Brian!"_

_Oh yeah!_ Thought Brian as his groggy mind started to come alive, remembering what had happened before he had become unconscious. _Dom. Dom was in that room and he saved me. He came for me._

Brian felt a light fluttering in his chest as he remembered how Dom had come for him. How he had beaten Vikul black, blue, and bloody. And for the first time in what felt like an eternity, Brian felt happy.

Realizing he was still asleep, Brian tried to open his still sleepy eyes, but they felt really tired and his mind threaten to drift back into la la land at any moment. But Brian wouldn't let himself. He had to see Dom, even if only for a brief second.

Brian slowly pried open his eyes. _Hm, that's odd. Or is it? Where am I? _The room he was in was dark. So dark, in fact, that he couldn't make out any details, other than he was in a bed and covered in thick, warm blankets.

"Dom?" Called Brian out to the darkness. He lifted his hand and started searching the side of his bed for a light or something.

"No. Guess again." Said a voice coming out of the darkness.

Brian froze in terror as he broke out in a cold sweat. The voice seemed to be coming from in front of the bed, and was very familiar, but Brian had his head turned to the side and was way too scared to turn and face his addresser.

_Th-that voice_, Brian thought, stuttering even in his own mind.

"What about my voice Brian?"

Oh, did he say that out loud? He must have.

"Do you recognize it?"

Breathing became difficult as Brian could feel his intruder move closer to his bed. His hands fisted into tight balls around the sheets that they had in their grip as Brian felt the side of the bed dip down where his intruder sat.

"Come on Brian, say my name," pressured Brian's intruder, who was also the same man who had been his tormentor for the past few months.

Brian refused to play the sicko's game and tightly squeezed his eyes shut. He could feel tears stinging at the corners of his eyes, threatening to spill over. To hell was Brian going to let Camille see this moment of weakness. He had already seen him vulnerable enough times.

_Oh God, please, _silently prayed Brian. _Was it all just a dream? Did Dom really not come for me? Oh God, please._

"Come on Brian. What is my name?"

Brian shook his head. He wasn't going to give into Camille. Not now, not ever again. Even if that would be the death of him. Brian could practically feel the smirk that was spread over Camille's face as the bed shifted and Camille moved. And the next thing he knew light fingers were brushing away some hair from his sweaty forehead.

"No!" Screamed Brain, throwing his arm over to where Camille sat, sitting up completely and finally opening his eyes. He turned quickly to face Camille and fight him if he had to. But, strangely enough, no one was there. In fact, Brian wasn't even in the same room. What was going on?

Brian looked quickly around the dark room. He was alone and hooked up to an IV.

_What the heck?_

Brian firmly gripped the IV tubes and swiftly pulled them out, wincing just a little as he did so. He didn't know where he was or how he had gotten there, and he didn't fancy staying there any longer. As Brian swung his legs over the bed he heard what sounded like the muffled sound of someone running. Brian panicked and quickly got to his feet, standing on shaky legs.

"Brian are you okay!" Screamed a voice as the sound of running feet stopped and Brian turned to look at the side door to see who was calling him. And there he stood, in all his glory, was Dom.

"Dom!" Cried Brian, in joy just as his knees gave out from under him. Brian went crashing to the floor as Dom rushed over to him.

_This can't be real, _thought Brian as he caught himself before he did a face plant into the floor. _I must be dreaming._

"Bri, are you hurt?" Asked Dom as he kneeled down next to Brian and looked him over. "Brian you're bleeding!" Dom took Brian's bloody hand into both of his. There was a gash there and a little blood, but it wasn't anything life threatening. "You pulled out your IV."

Brian just gaped at dream Dom, his chest twisting at pain. "Dom," whispered Brian, tears now flowing freely down his face. Brian pulled his hand quickly out of Dom's grip and wrapped both his arms around Dom's neck. "Dom. Oh God, Dom I missed you."

Dom was shocked at first and didn't move, he just let Brian wrap his arms tightly around his neck and cry into his shoulder. When he finally came back to his senses, Dom gently wrapped his own arms around Brian, completely encasing the smaller man with his body.

"I missed you too Bri," whispered Dom right next to Brian's ear. "Everything's gonna be alright. I'm going to take care of you. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."

Brian just held on tight to his dream Dom, his tears slowing down. _I know this is just a dream._ Brian thought to himself_. I know that Dom is not really here right now. Dom's not really holding me. And he's not telling me everything I need to hear. And I know that in the morning I'll wake up and there'll be Camille. Touching me. Kissing me. Making me feel so sick._ Brian pulled away from Dom and looked up and into the taller man's face. Tears stopped as he smiled at Dom's tired and worn out looking face. "But for tonight just let me have you."

Dom's brows scrunched up in confusion. He was sure he had heard Brian's whispered words wrong. Dom was tired and sleepy, emotionally and physically beaten and now he was projecting how he felt onto Brian, and his twisted and warped brain was twisting what Brian was saying into what he wanted to hear. He needed to stop that before he did something he'd regret later.

"C'mon Buster," said Dom as he wrapped a strong arm around Brian and lifted him to his feet. "Let's get you back into bed."

Dom carefully put Brian back down onto the bed and was about to move to the chair that was situated next to his bed, when the sleeve to his T-shirt was caught in the vice like grip of Brian's hand. "Stay," whispered out Brian, his voice on the edge of pleading but not quite there yet.

Dom tried to give Brian a reassuring smile. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise. I'm going to be sitting in this seat right here if you need me," said Dom motioning to the chair near Brian, but Brian just shook his head and tightened his grip on Dom's shirt.

"No," whispered Brian. "Stay. Right here by me."

Dom realized that Brian meant on the bed with him. Dom also realized that Brian was gripping his sleeve like a drowning man grips his only life line. Was Brian scared that if he let go that Dom would leave him? Dom was shocked that Brian would ever feel that way. Didn't Brian know by now how much he cared for him? How much he'd sacrifice for him? How much he loved him?

Dom felt slightly hurt, but moved back next to Brian anyways and sat down on the edge of the bed with the other man. Brian still didn't let go of Dom's sleeve. "Bri, it's okay," started Dom, his words hushed and gentle as he placed his own hand over the one Brian had fisted in his shirt. "I'm not going to leave you." _I love you._

Brian looked up at Dom and gave a sad smile that had Dom's chest twisting in even more pain. Brian looked at Dom like he didn't believe him, but wanted to. "I know," Brian whispered back. _But this isn't real._

_Then look at me like you do._ Thought Dom at Brian's words.

Brian released his grip on Dom's shirt and moved his hand to gently brush his fingers against a small bruise on his cheek. Brian continued to move closer to Dom, until the sides of their thighs were pressed flush against each others'.

"Brian?" questioned Dom, curiously, as Brian kept drawing closer and cupped Dom's face with both his hands.

"Shush," was all Brian gave as an answer before he leaned in close to Dom, slowly sliding onto his lap.

Dom swallowed the dry lump that had formed in his throat as he got himself a lapful of Brian. Brian had braced himself on his knees that were now placed on both sides of his thighs. Brian tilted his head ever so slightly to the side. Dom could feel something forming between them. It felt like the little space there was between their bodies was rapidly heating up, to the point where if they didn't do something soon it would explode.

_Is he going to-! _Thought Dom as all he could do was stare up at Brian in wide eyed wonderment. _He is! _

Brian was now only a hair's breath away from Dom's face, with his mouth barely parted open. It would take no effort at all for Dom to close the extra distance and take Brian as his own. And with the way that Brian's beautiful blue eyes kept flicking back and forth from Dom's eyes to his lips, Dom didn't know if he could hold himself back much longer.

Slowly- ever so tortuously slowly -Brian slid his hands down from Dom's face to his shoulders and then once more wrapped his arms around Dom's neck, leaning in those last few centimeters and softly laying his lips against Dom's. The feel was unlike anything Dom had ever felt before, even kissing Letty had never felt so intense, and Brian had barely brushed his lips against his own. But there was so much emotion in that simple kiss that Dom felt overwhelmed. Helpless and suddenly desperate to prove how much he really loved Brian. How he would never leave him. He had to make Brian see that he would always protect him.

Reaching up and running his hands through Brian's soft, blond curls, Dom deepened the kiss, applying just a bit more pressure and pulling Brian closer. Brian moaned deep in his throat and Dom suddenly felt very, very hot all over. Dom pulled Brian over top of him as he laid down flat on the bed, before rolling over to where Brian was now the one laying flat on his back with Dom on top of him. But Brian didn't seem to mind as he looked up at Dom with half lidded eyes, and in the dim light of the room, Dom swore Brian's eyes seemed to glow.

_So beautiful_, thought Dom as he leaned back down and started to kiss Brian once more. There was no tongue, it was just a slow meeting of soft lips as they each tried to convey the emotions and affections they each held for the other.

_This has to be a dream,_ thought Brian to himself as he ran his hands up and down Dom's chest over the T-shirt he had on. _The real Dom would never let me touch him like this, or kiss him. But even if this is a dream; just let me hold onto this Dom, just a little longer. Please…_

Dom groaned deep in his own throat as he felt Brian's hands run up and down his torso, wishing desperately that those hands were under his shirt so he could feel the skin on skin contact. Brian bucked his hips up into Dom's groin and Dom groaned even louder as he felt Brian's own arousal.

Dom moved down from Brian's lips to his neck, teasing the soft, smooth flesh there. Brian's head rolled back willingly, giving Dom full access to his long and pale neck. Dom liked this. He really liked this. And it even freaked Dom out how much he, himself, liked it. Dom let out a loud moan as he sucked on Brian's bared neck and a shiver of pure pleasure crept up his spine. And was it getting hotter in there or was it just him?

Brian gripped Dom's shirt tightly as he ground his groin into Dom's, feeling Dom's own arousal come alive. Dom then moved away from Brian and looked down at him, panting heavily. Brian let out a small whimper at the loss of Dom's mouth and Dom just let out a soft chuckle at the noise. Brian had no idea how cute he looked right now, all sleepy eyed and pouting with a head full of disheveled, blond curls.

Dom gently brushed Brian's hands off his shirt and Brian gave him a surprised look, like he didn't know what Dom was doing. Gripping the hem of his shirt, Dom slowly and purposefully began to pull his shirt over his head, giving Brian a chance to get a good look now, because he wouldn't get a chance later.

Dom flung his shirt off of the bed, loving the wide eyed and amazed look he got from Brian. Brian stared up at Dom like he couldn't believe that Dom was allowing him to see him like this. Which, honestly, was slowly starting to tick Dom off. Was it really so hard to believe that Dom liked him like that? Well, if that was the case, it wouldn't be by the time Dom was done with him.

Dom leaned back down and kissed Brian fiercely, feeling like if he just kissed him hard enough that Brian would get the message. The next few minutes were filled with gripping hands and desperate tongues battling for dominance. Brian didn't mind bottoming, but he wasn't just going to just lie there and take it. And Dom didn't mind that one bit. No, in fact, he liked that spark that Brian always had.

Gripping the hem of Brian's shirt, Dom let out a gruff growl, signaling for Brian to lift up his back so that Dom could remove his shirt. Brian did so without protest, breaking their kiss only long enough to pull the annoying cloth over his head.

Dom took a moment to look over Brian's bruised body. Anger flared up deep inside Dom as he lightly trailed a finger along a still healing gash that ran from the bottom of Brian's ribs to his hipbone. It wasn't deep and Dom had a few like those himself, but that didn't make him feel any less angry at Camille for hurting his Brian. Camille would not live to regret his actions, Dom would make sure of that.

Dom replaced his finger tips with his lips, trailing butterfly light kisses along every bruise and laceration covering Brian's body. He went slow, feeling that this moment called for tenderness and needn't be rushed. For awhile, Dom just wanted time to stop. He and Brian both just needed this moment. And they needed it to be tender and slow, soft and healing. Dom really hated the deep, dark bruises that littered Brian's stomach. You could tell that Brian's abdomen had taken most of the abuse from Camille.

As Dom reached the hem of Brian's sweat pants, Brain suddenly began to squirm uncomfortably. "S-stop," Brian stuttered out, hands shaking and whole body trembling.

Dom was instantly off of Brian like he had been burned with fire. "Stop," was the magic word. Dom was worried that he may have been too rough with Brian and was hurting some of his old wounds. Which wouldn't be hard, considering the poor boy had been someone's personal punching bag.

"Sorry, sorry," repeated Dom as he moved to get off of Brian and to, instead, sit next to him on the bed. "Did I hurt you?" Brian shook his head as he squeezed his eyes tightly shut. Dom noticed his trembling had increased and it sounded like Brian was trying hard not to cry. "Brian, what's wrong?"

_Please don't look at me, _whispered Brian to himself, squeezing his eyes tighter shut. He wanted the dream to stop now. It was getting too painful. Every time Dom kissed his stomach or touched the hem of his pants, Brian would remember the day that Vikul had attacked him and tried to rape him. In place of Dom's lips and Dom's hands he couldn't help seeing Vikul's lips and Vikul's hands. It made him sick enough to throw up. _Why am I so weak?_

"Brian, please tell me what's wrong," whispered Dom before Brian shook his head some more and turned away from him. Dom should have known this was going to happen. He went too fast, even if Brian had been the one to initiate it. Brian had been held captive by a man who sexually assaulted him on a regular basis, for cripe's sake!

Dom felt a new kind of heat take over him. This time of anger. Dom's hands tightened into fists as images of Camille doing unspeakable things to Brian assaulted his mind. But that was only his imagination. He needed to know what had really happened. "Brian," called Dom, softly, as he watched the younger man's shoulders shake viciously. "Please, Brian look at me." Dom let his hand reach over and lightly brush against Brian's shoulder.

"No," whimpered back Brian, the sound breaking Dom's heart. "Please just go away." Brian couldn't handle this. If his dream Dom didn't vanish soon, he was liable to just start bawling in front of him.

"Brian, what did Camille do to you?" Asked Dom, voice a little sterner, but still barely over a whisper. He placed his hand completely on Brian's shoulder, feeling the tremors that rocked through Brian's body.

"Just," stuttered Brian. There was annoyance, desperation, agitation, and something else Dom couldn't describe lacing Brian's words and before he knew what had happened, Brian had shot up and flung Dom's arm off of his shoulder. "Just leave me alone!" This time Brian did yell.

Brian glared angrily at Dom, eyes red and shiny from unshed tears and voice crackling from the force of trying not to cry. A twisting pain overtook Dom as he looked into Brian's face. What had Camille done to Brian? His Brian. His strong, stubborn, cocky Brian.

"Bri-," started Dom, but didn't get to finish before Brian, himself, cut him off.

"I can't. I can't," whispered Brian, the anger gone from his eyes and voice as he let his head fall down, his shoulders trembling hard enough to shake the whole bed. "I'm sorry." Tears silently spilled out of Brian's eyes and down his face. _I can't stop seeing Vikul's face, and it makes me sick. Why! Why can't I just be here, now, with Dom? I was fine at first, but then Dom touched my stomach and brought back those memories. Why! _"I can't be with you," Brian confessed, rubbing the balls of his hands against his eyes. "Every time you touch me, I can't stop seeing Vikul."

Dom visibly bristled at Brian's words. "Why? What did he do to you Brian?" Asked Dom, voice a little deeper and eyes a little darker.

Brian swallowed hard before looking up and meeting Dom's steely gaze. _It's okay_, thought Brian.

"He tried to rape me," stated Brian, calmly, to Dom.

_It's okay to tell this Dom…_

Brian felt tears well up in his eyes again as the look in Dom's eyes softened and the larger man leaned in closer to him. Brian thought Dom looked very apologetic. Like he was the one who had tried to rape Brian, and not Vikul. But, the more Brian thought about it, Dom probably blamed himself for all that had happened to him. He shouldn't, Brian thought. Dom couldn't control what others did. He could only control his own reactions.

"Brian I'm so sorry," whispered Dom, reaching out to a broken and crying Brian, who sat trembling next to him. "Oh God, Brian, I'm so sorry."

Dom took Brian into his arms and held him close, letting Brian cling, tightly, to him. He could only be there for him as Brian just let go for awhile. As he laid his heart out to the taller man and showed his vulnerable side to him. Clinging tighter to the bigger man, Brian let his emotions pour over him. It was like a dam had broken inside of him and all the anger, frustration, helplessness, and fear he had felt during his weeks of captivity was washing over him, flooding him even.

_It's okay to be vulnerable in front of Dom_, Brian kept telling himself. _It's only a dream after all._

**A/N: Tada? Okay, I would like to start by saying that I was originally going to write a full sex scene in this chapter, but as I got writing and thinking, it felt more like Dom was taking advantage of a vulnerable and drugged up Brian than something consensual, and I couldn't do that, it just felt so wrong to me. So it will be a little bit longer before that happens (sorry you guys, I know you are really waiting for the smut). **

**I'd just like to say thanks for the patience and for the reviews and for continuing to read. Thank you sooooo much!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks, Rika100 and 21JumpStreetMcQuaids** **for the reviews. Melissen thank you for the review and I agree with you that Brian is not a girl, and I tried not to make him girly, but I also wanted him vulnerable. I mean, he almost got raped and was held hostage, that has to have some impact on him. SlytherinQueen020 thank you for the review, I'm so glad you thought it was worth the wait, and yes, healing in the next chapters, and sex too! DestinChild thanks for the wonderful review. I too love a caring and protective Dom, and read to find out how Brian reacts when he learns last night wasn't a dream. DeMoNzUnLeAsHeD thanks for the review and the smut is on the way. MustangTaisaNoKoibito thanks for the review and reading. Hope you enjoy this next chapter. Marchling thanks for the review and I'm glad you felt the same way I did. I too felt that it was too soon, but wanted a revelation to come about. These two have been dancing around each other long enough. , thank you for the review and the help, and I'm so glad you think that my grammar's getting better. I have really been taking your advice to heart and trying my best to correct myself. And I'm trying to fix that repetition thing, but I also am trying not to confuse my readers. I want to make the story easy to read and follow along with and that they understand who said what and when, but I will try to use other pronouns in place of their names. 3taz2 I'm just happy this chapter brings out a wide range of emotions to you. Thank you for reading and reviewing. Selinaxxx thank you for the review and you made me so happy when you said that this was one of the best stories you had ever read. Thank you. WookieCookie as always your reviews make me smile so much. And am- I know this sounds weird -happy to make have mad you cry. It means you can truly feel for the characters, which also means you have a unique act for reading and understanding things. I am also flattered that you think I write professionally for a living, I do not, but hope to some day. Also, I do plan on writing another Brian/Dom story when I finish this one. So, here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy. Thanks again.**

**And thanks to the Guest who read and reviewed too!**

Chapter Thirteen - 

Camille paced angrily back and forth in front of a bruised and bloody Vikul, his fists clenching and unclenching in a slow and angry manner. Weeks upon weeks of hard work, gone! All that time he had spent with Brian, all the hard work he put into the boy; gone. And all because the two nimrods he had hired to keep watch needed, and he quoted, "a break from the dull basement." When Camille got his hands on them, he'd strangle them, but slowly. He wanted to savor the feeling of slowly dragging the life away from them. Yes. That'd be quite sweet.

Camille turned back to Vikul who look solemnly down at his feet. _Oh, Vikul. My only faithful follower, _thought Camille.

"Do we know where they went?" Asked Camille.

Vikul just shook his head. "No," grunted the bigger man. "The tracking device on the car proved useless as we found the car abandoned at a mini-mart."

Camille hummed deep in thought. If only he had locked Brian's door, but, no, that would be against what he had promised Dom. And Camille may have been a lot of things, but he strongly believed that a man should stick true to his word. But he knew he had locked the door to Dom's cell, though. He would never make such a careless mistake, for exactly this reason. So someone else must have entered Dom's room after he left.

"Vikul, who was the last to enter Dom's cell after I left?" Asked Camille, calmly, like the whole situation didn't bother him one bit.

Vikul looked up at his boss, brow scrunched up in thought but he remembered and his eyes went wide for a second before he bowed his head again. "That would have been me, Sir," answered Vikul.

Camille rubbed at his aching forehead. Could his day get any worse? Camille sighed as he realized he was to blame for all of this too. If only he had stayed instead of falling in his moment of weakness. He knew the trip was dangerous to take, but he couldn't help himself. After all, she was his mother.

"Gather up the idiots," stated Camille, firmly. "I know how to find them, but we must move fast before they leave the country."

Brian felt so warm, so at ease. He couldn't remember when the last time he had felt like this even was. Opening his still sleepy eyes, he was shocked to see a strong arm wrapped around his waist. But that did explain the warm, soft, and solid wall at his back. His first thought was of Camille, and he wanted to hurl as a wave of dread washed over him. But he kept his nerves about him as he turned his head and saw the sleeping figure of Dom.

The breath caught in Brian's throat as the memories of the previous night came rushing back to him. Was he really that emotional last night?

_Oh God!_ Thought Brian. _But that means… _

Brian took another look at the Dom behind him and sure enough he looked just like the Dom from his dreams. The older man looked haggard. Dark bags were under his eyes and bruises covered his body.

How long had Dom been held captive? What did Camille do to him? And where on earth were they? Brian puzzled over these questions for a moment as he tried to worm his way out of Dom's grasp, but just as he tried to lift the bigger man's arm, Dom pulled him closer to his chest.

_What am I gonna do!? _Brian let out a sigh that was more like a puff of air than anything. _Dom's seen me in my most vulnerable condition. What is he gonna think of me now? Weak, probably._

Brian let out another sigh, this one longer than the last. His body ached, his head hurt, and he was still very sleepy. Without realizing it, he had moved back against Dom, just enjoying the comfort and warmth the other man had to offer. He tried to remember how he and Dom had escaped Camille's prison.

He remembered waiting for Dom to return as Dom climbed up the ladder in the basement. Then Dom hoisting him over his shoulder before blacking out and then the next thing he remembered was…

_Oh, God, no…_

Brian felt cold dread wrap itself around him as he broke out in a cold sweat and he was suddenly paralyzed with fear.

He and Dom had made out the night before.

Dom felt Brian squirming about next to him and, at first, he didn't mind, but when Brian tried to leave his embrace, he got a little agitated. He was tired and aching and just wanted a little bit more sleep. Brian should agree with him. So why wouldn't the younger man just settle down and go back to sleep? He tightened his hold on Brian so that he couldn't slip away and felt Brian tense for a moment before he stopped moving altogether. For a minute, he thought Brian had went back to sleep, but then after a few more minutes he could practically feel the waves of panic radiating off of Brian.

"Go back to sleep Brian," mumbled Dom, sleepily with a bit of an annoyed edge to his voice. He felt Brian tense up even more and he was scared that the younger man had stopped breathing even.

He quickly opened his eyes and lifted himself up on one elbow so he could lean over Brian's shoulder and look at the blonde in the eye. "Bri, you okay?" Asked Dom as he saw the shocked and petrified look on his face.

"Dom?" Questioned Brian, eyes going slightly wide. "Is that really you?"

"Yeah," grunted Dom, trying to break the tension with a small smile. "What? Were you expecting Mia or something?"

Brian just continued to stare at him, wide eyed and pale, and suddenly Dom's throat constricted. What if Brian had expected to wake up next to Mia?

_Oh crap!_ Thought Dom. _Of course it's Mia he wanted. I just took advantage of a drugged up and vulnerable Brian last night!_

Dom felt a twisting sick feeling curling in the pit of his stomach at his thoughts. There he went projecting his own feelings onto Brian and thinking that he actually wanted him. He quickly released Brian and threw the covers off of himself as he quickly rolled off the other side of the bed.

"Brian," started Dom, "I'm so sorry. I thought- I mean, last night… It seemed like it was me you wanted."

He didn't dare look up at Brian as he moved about the room pulling on his discarded T-shirt. "Just try and get some rest, okay? It's still pretty early in the morning, but later I'm expecting someone," stated Dom, back turned to Brian and leaving for his room through the connecting door.

And as Brian laid there, staring at Dom's back before the door was closed and it disappeared, he suddenly felt very frightened and alone.

This was real, Brian realized. And last night was also real. Not only had he kissed Dom, but Dom had kissed him back. And even more importantly than that, Dom had stayed with him through the night.

_Dom… Loves me?_

Brian quickly tried to hop out of the bed, sheets tangling around his legs only for a moment before he went stumbling up to the door and flung it open. "Dom!" He cried out as he spotted the man in question searching around in a duffle bag.

Dom looked up at Brian and their eyes met. For a second, Brian's jaw worked, but no sounds came out. He looked like a fish out of water, till finally his mouth shut and he set his jaw tight, realizing that there were no words that could help him now.

Neither man said a word as Brian started to walk closer to Dom, the two of them never once breaking eye contact. And suddenly, the moment seemed very delicate. Like a single sound could shatter it into a million pieces. Finally, Brian made it around the bed and stopped about a foot away from Dom. Both men were facing each other now, still not speaking a word, but instead searching each others' faces for something that could not be described.

Brian opened his mouth, but the only thing that would come out was Dom's very name and that was all Dom needed. Dom leaned down and kissed Brian, fiercely, gripping the blonde's hair and pulling his head back to get a better angle. And Brian, eagerly, opened his mouth to Dom's questioning tongue and met him for every stroke and touch.

"I didn't believe…" Panted Brian, when Dom broke their kiss for air and then started to work his was down Brian's jaw to his neck, laying firm kisses along the way. "That you were really there, or at the very least you reciprocated my feels."

"Then you're stupid," grunted Dom, pushing Brian down onto his bed. "Now shut up."

Brian grinned up at Dom, but didn't say a word as Dom joined him on the bed, kissing him till he was sure he was going to pass out from the lack of oxygen. But just as wandering hands found purchase on solid curves of muscles, a loud bang resounded around the two men.

"Crap! What was that!?" Asked Brian, pulling away from Dom.

"Daniel must be home," muttered Dom, quickly getting off of Brian and answering his questioning look. "He's an old friend of mine, and this is his place we're crashing at for a bit." Brian silently nodded as Dom rifled through a duffle bag at the side of the bed. "Here," he stated as he threw some clothes at Brian. "These should fit you. And there's soap and an extra toothbrush and other things in the bathroom. Why don't you freshen up?"

"That'd be nice," replied Brian before he ran a hand over his thick and scraggly beard. "I'm starting to feel like Grizzly Adams."

As Brian disappeared into the bathroom, Dom exited his bedroom in search of Daniel. He found the other man in the kitchen fixing a pot of coffee. "Morning," greeted Daniel with a sleepy smile. "How long have you been up?"

"I just got up actually," answered Dom as he took a seat at the kitchen table.

"I hope I didn't wake you with all the banging around I did down here."

"Naw. I was up before that."

"Oh, okay. And Sleeping Beauty? How's he doing?"

"Up and in the shower."

"Good." Daniel suddenly stopped fiddling with the coffee pot as he fixed Dom with a stern look. "We've got trouble."

Dom felt the blood drain from his face. Trouble? He did not like that sound of that. "What happened?"

"Last night as I was getting rid of the car like you asked, I heard some guys talking about two men matching your descriptions and how there was a bounty on your heads." Daniel paused for a moment and the only sound that filled the room was the gargle and hiss of the coffee pot. "I couldn't get close enough to hear much else without giving myself away, but I have no doubt Camille's got a price on your heads and he knows you're both still in Vegas."

All was quiet for awhile, the burble of the coffee pot fading out in the background. "Sh*t. What are we suppose to do now?" Asked Dom, more to himself than Daniel.

"In my best opinion," started Daniel. "Lay low. Stay here for awhile till the hype of the reward Camille's offering dies down a bit and then sneak out of the country as fast as you two can. And we both know how fast you can be when you wanna be."

"Yeah, but what about Mia and the rest of my crew?"

"They're outta the country, right?" Asked Daniel, Dom just nodded. They were, in deed, out of the states, but exactly where Dom wasn't sure. "Well then they shouldn't be in any trouble. From what I can gather Camille's reaches are just within the U.S."

Dom stared down at the table, in deep concentration. He hoped Daniel was right and Camille's powers were only limited to within the U.S. The ding of the coffee pot as it finished its brew pulled Dom out of his thoughts to find Daniel pulling a carton of eggs and a package of bacon out of his fridge.

"I'll get started on breakfast." Said Daniel as he turned back to Dom. "And when Sleeping Beauty gets done preening we'll all eat."

Dom chuckled as a mental image of Brian curling his hair and fussing over his clothes came to his mind, and he found the thought somehow relaxing as he leaned back in his chair.

The steaming water washed over Brian's tired and aching muscles, the tiny droplets acting like thousands of tiny masseuse hands working out all the knots in his muscles. It felt heavenly. And after he had scrubbed off the sweat and grime that coated his body, he brushed his teeth and worked on shaving while in the shower. And that's when things got difficult.

His hands started to tremble as he held the razor up to his neck and suddenly the whole ordeal became very tiring. It was getting hot in the shower and he was sure the steam was making it difficult for him to breath, because he found himself gasping for air. He decided to turn off the water and finish shaving at the sink. But as he stepped out of the shower he found his legs shaking and weak.

_Must be weak from hunger,_ thought Brian as he wrapped a towel around his waist and managed to lean against the sink to finish shaving. _When was the last time I ate?_

Brian finished shaving, but not before giving himself a few new scratches in the process, dressed, and headed down the hall to where he heard voices and the tantalizing smell of bacon lured him in.

As he entered the kitchen Dom and another man- who Brian assumed to be Daniel -were talking and laughing, and it made him suddenly feel at ease to see Dom so carefree for the first time in ages. As he got close enough to hear what they were talking about another dizzy spell came over him.

"I know how that is," Daniel was saying as he flipped an egg in his frying pan. "Toby is so-" Daniel stopped mid-sentence as he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye, just in time, to see Brian collapse to the floor.

And as quickly as Daniel had turned to see Brian, Dom was out of his seat and kneeling next to the crumpled man on the floor. Brian was curling in on himself and shaking terribly.

"Brian! Brian!" Called Dom, frantically, momentarily stunned by what had happened. "Brian what's wrong!? Talk to me Bri!"

Brian shivered as he looked up at Dom and tried to form words, but breathing was getting difficult again and his muscles kept clenching and unclenching in between shivers. It was getting really annoying.

Brian saw Daniel rush over to him and kneel down next to Dom as he looked him over. "It looks like Delirium Tremens," stated Daniel to Dom, and Brian really wished he'd talk slower and use smaller words, so he, too, could know what was going on.

"What!?" Barked Dom, also not knowing what the heck Daniel was talking about.

"The shakes, Boss. Drug withdrawl," explained Daniel, still looking over Brian. "Sweating, difficulty breathing, tremors, and tense muscles. Quickly let's get him back to his room." And in one swift motion Brian was curled up against Dom's firm chest and being carried back to his room, before carefully being laid down on his bed. "I'll hook him up to another IV and get some fluids back in him, but without knowing what exactly he's withdrawing from I'm not sure what to treat him for, and not to mention I don't have all the supplies necessary for this."

"Then get some," said Dom.

"Easier said than done," replied Daniel. "I can't just walk into a hospital and hand them a grocery list of drugs. And I can't even go back to my normal source now, since Camille put a price on both of your heads. Someone's gonna flag me for coming in and buying a cabinet full of drugs used in helping patients detox."

"Then what are we gonna do, Daniel?"

Daniel turned to Dom with a serious face and said, "I think it's time I called in my medical friend." Dom could only nod his head. Brian was going to need medical help. During this short conversation, Brian had nodded off again.

The next time Brian came to, he noticed two things. One, he was hooked back up to the IV again and his skin crawled, horribly. And two, there was a strange woman leaning over him with a stethoscope. She was so consumed in what she was doing that she didn't seem to notice that he had woken up. She placed the bell of the acoustic stethoscope on his bare chest and he felt compelled to say something.

"I wake up helpless, half naked in a bed, and no recollection of how I got here." Stated Brian, voice hoarse and gravely as he tried to give the young lady a charming smile, but the effect was lost as his chest hurt. The girl jerked back and looked up at Brian in surprise. "Sounds like some plot from some B rated porn film." Brian coughed and wheezed, trying to get air back into his lungs, but it suddenly felt like there was an elephant sitting on his chest.

"Does your chest ache?" Asked the mystery woman as she opened a black bag that was situated on the nightstand next to her.

"Uh, yeah," answered Brian. "You don't mess around with pleasantries do you? Just cut straight to the point. That would explain how you got me half naked in a bed without first taking me out to dinner."

"I didn't put you in that bed," mumbled the girl, still rifling through her bag and clearly not paying attention to Brian, and suddenly he felt a flush of heat come over him as he remembered exactly who put him in that bed. "You're suffering from withdrawl," commented the mystery woman as she finished rifling through her bag. "I'm going to set you up with some meds to counteract the symptoms, but you should be fine. You're in no serious danger."

"Oh that's good."

"By the way, my name's Sara," informed the woman.

"Hi Sara, I'm Brian."

"I know."

"Wow." Brian said, dully. "You really have no talent for this small talk thing."

"Not really. And I have to go. I'll be by later to check on you."

Sara rose from her seat, gave a curt nod to Brian, and left his room. _Well, that was… helpful? Intriguing?_ _Ah, who cares. I wonder where Dom is._

Brian suddenly felt restless and like his skin was trying to crawl right off of him. Not to mention, he still hadn't stopped shaking yet. He wondered how long he'd be like this and then wondered again where Dom was.

Daniel and Dom were talking softly outside of Brian's room when Sara came out. The two men instantly stopped what they were saying and looked up, anxiously, at her. She let out a tired sigh as she gently closed the door behind herself.

"He should be okay," said Sara, finally looking up at the two taller men. "There doesn't seem to be any physical complications, other than the symptoms themselves."

"So he's going to be okay?" Asked Dom.

"That depends on what your definition of okay is and how well he does in the time to come," answered Sara. "Tonight's going to be the worst, but I'm not going to say that afterwards everything will be better, because chances are they won't be. Just make sure he gets rest, plenty of fluids, and stays away from any drugs that I have specifically left you for his care. The last thing we want is a relapse."

"Of course," answered Daniel.

"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm tired and wish to go to bed."

Dom gave his thanks to Sara before leaving Daniel and her standing in the hallway to check on Brian.

**A/N: Thanks for reading. **

**AH! Stupid stress induced writer's block! Forgive me, but life just seems to be getting in the way of my writing ^_^. Annoying little thing life is.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks to all my readers! You guys bring me so much joy! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!**

**Special thanks to melissen thank you for reviewing and following along ^_^!**

Chapter Fourteen -

Brian was slowly setting himself up in his bed when Dom came through his door. "Hey Dom," greeted Brian with a lopsided grin.

"Hey Bri. How are you?" Asked Dom as he slowly made his way over to Brian's bed.

"Thirsty. Got anything to drink?"

"Yeah, sure."

Dom helped him sit up in his bed and placed a pillow behind his back before getting him a glass of water.

"Thanks," replied Brian as he reached out for the glass, but he was so weak and his hands trembled so much that he had to reach out for the glass with both of his hands.

"Let me help you with that," said Dom as he kneeled down next to his bed and let Brian grip the glass before wrapping his own hands around Brian's trembling ones. He held Brian's hands steady as he lifted the glass up to his lips and took a swig.

"Thanks," replied Brian after he finished drinking and Dom placed the empty glass down on the nightstand. "You meet Sara?"

"Yeah."

"Real talkative one, that girl," continued Brian as he leaned back in his bed and gave Dom a tired smile. "I swear, I couldn't get her to shut up. And talk about warm and bubbly." Brian laughed at his own joke as he watched a small smile curve at the corners of Dom's lips. "C'mon Dom. Lighten up a bit. The doc said I was gonna be okay." Dom turned to look at Brian, the younger man's half lidded eyes fighting to stay awake and his tired face, for the first time in weeks, looking relaxed. He couldn't tell him that Camille had put a bounty on their heads. That would just cause more undo stress that Brian really didn't need right now.

"Yeah, she was a real ball of sunshine," replied Dom with a roll of his eyes. Brian allowed Dom to cover him up with the comforter as he leaned back and got himself more comfortable in the bed, just enjoying the moment in Dom's company. "Get some sleep, okay? I have a few things I need to do, but when I'm done we'll talk some more."

Dom stood to leave, giving Brian a tired smile, trying to look as if nothing in the world was wrong, trying to convey to Brian that everything was going to be alright. He hoped his façade had fooled him.

"Yeah. Sure," replied Brian, giving Dom a equally tired looking smile.

"Okay, good." Dom turned and opened the door, taking one heavy step out of the room before he was stopped.

"Dom!" Brian called to him, and from that moment on Dom knew he could never turn away from him whenever he called for him. He turned and faced the beaten blond lying in the bed. "Thank you." There was a long moment of silence between the two men, both just looking the other over, neither thinking much of anything. Both just feeling. Feeling the new emotions that were growing inside of them. Feeling the old emotions like open wounds that never quite healed. And wondering what exactly the other was feeling.

And that's when Dom's resolve became solid and unmovable. He knew what he had to do and nothing could deter him now. "You'll never have to thank me," replied Dom before leaving Brian's room, closing the door behind him. He knew that there was only one way to ensure Brian's safety. And that was to kill Camille. So long as both he and Camille were both alive, they would never stop fighting. And Brian would never be safe.

Dom's strides became quicker and longer as he passed by the kitchen and went straight for the front door, grabbing the car keys off the hook that hung on the door frame. "Dom," called a familiar voice as the sound of rushing footfalls became louder with each passing second. "Where are you going?"

Daniel looked, questioningly, at Dom. The bigger man turned to look sternly at Daniel before answering him. "Brian is not to know. You understand?" Dom's tone left no room for argument and if that wasn't enough, the look that Daniel was receiving from the other man had him taking a step or two back from the man. "I'm going to end this now."

"What!?"

"I'm going to call Camille out."

"Have you lost your freakin' mind!? You have! You've lost your mind! That's the only explanation for why you'd leave your safe haven to go out into the danger zone, and call out the very man who put a bounty- high enough to have mercenaries crawling out of the gutters, I remind you -on your head!"

Dom's steely eyes went unflinching even as Daniel became hysterical and hands swung about in the air like a marionette puppet's arms on strings. "This will never end until one of us is dead," hissed Dom, voice deep and thick with anger and determination. "And you know I'm right. We're already running from the feds, some narcissist who has a beef with me is the last thing we need!" Dom breathed in a heavy and long breath through his nose as he felt his anger growing out of control. He needed to kept his head straight before he did something he'd later regret. And in a lower and lighter tone said, "Especially after what he had already did to Brian."

Daniel and Dom were both silent for a moment, both getting their emotions under control again. Daniel knew where Dom was coming from. He also knew the other man was right. The only way Camille would ever stop hunting him, or Brian, was if he or Dom was dead. "Okay. Okay," sighed Daniel, running a hand through his long locks and looking for a second down at Dom's feet then adverting his gaze back up to Dom's eyes. "But not right now."

"I have-" protested Dom, but was silenced when Daniel held up a hand.

"Brian needs you now more than ever. You heard Sara. Tonight's gonna be the worst for him," continued Daniel as he glanced behind him and at the closed door that led to Brian's bedroom. "I think he'd be more appreciative if someone he trusted was with him as he detoxed, instead of some handsome stranger." Dom snorted at Daniel's comment about himself. "Hey!" Argued Daniel. "Chicks dig me!"

"Right," Dom huffed out under his breath, but an amused smile was making its presence known on his face.

"But, like I was saying," continued Daniel once more. "Brian needs you now. It's okay Dom. You can afford to lay low for a few days, before you go and do something suicidal."

Dom couldn't meet Daniel's eyes, so instead he stared at Brian's bedroom door. He was thinking that Daniel had a point. He knew that tonight was going to be a long one, for all of them. Finally meeting Daniel's eyes, he let out a long sigh, his shoulders sagging in the process. "I know you're right," he conceded. "I'm just tired of everyone I love getting hurt because of me."

Daniel chuckled as he gave Dom a sad smile and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Dom, we all know the risk of being close to you." Dom looked up into Daniel's kind face, suddenly reminded of Mia and her soft, understanding smile. "And if it wasn't worth it, than we wouldn't risk our lives for you. Trust me Dom, we all love you. Each of us in our own special way." Daniel cut his eyes behind him and there was no mistaking where he was looking.

"You were always too smart for your own good," commented Dom. Daniel's smile widened as he swung his arm around Dom's shoulders.

"I like to say, wise beyond my years," he gave Dom's shoulders a light squeeze as he half pushed, half pulled Dom back down the hall. "So how's about you, me, and Toby have a late night snack? I know Toby could go for some food. He always can."

Dom chuckled as he let Daniel guide him into the kitchen.

Camille was pissed, but blowing up about something he no longer had control over was not only stupid but counterproductive. So there he sat in the backseat of Dom's Charger, riffling through the two duffle bags Dom had back there.

Clothes, toiletries, maps of about twenty different places around the world, and papers with phone numbers that were no longer in service littered the backseat with Camille. "There has to be a clue in here somewhere," Camille murmured to himself, still searching angrily over the papers in the backseat. From what he could tell everything was methodically thought out and there had been much detail put into covering their tracks. "Crap!" From the looks of all their meticulous plans, if he didn't get a hold of the duo soon he might never.

Camille ran a hand through his short hair, scratching at the back of his neck once he reached it. Well, at least, he had one thing going for him. He knew they were still in the city. His eyes and ears all over the city had told him that much, and with the condition Brian's going to be in, he knew Dom wouldn't risk hauling him across the state like that. If anything, Dom would lay low and try and find Brian a doctor. Luckily, he had thought of this and had his men scouting out every doctors' office in the city. It still amazed Camille all the things money could get him. Oh, it was indeed good to be out of prison.

The night was cold and abnormally quiet to Brian. His skin crawled terribly, even worse than before and the shaking was driving him nuts. The muscles spasms were also happening more often, Brian noticed. And a strong craving for something he had no idea of was slowly consuming him whole.

It had started small, like a nagging feeling you got when you forgot something important but couldn't remember what. Then it made him fidgety. Making him move around every two seconds, but still unable to settle down. Till finally his whole being, mind and body, was so consumed by this craving it was fighting him for control of his every move and thought.

Brian gripped his hair, angrily, getting tired and exasperated with his shakes and the craving that wanted so badly to find whatever it wanted. He released his hair with an angry huff. He felt horrible. It felt like there were a hundred creepy, crawly insects under his skin.

"This is horrible," Brian whispered to himself, turning over in his bed once again, eyes darting back and forth across his dark room, and hands fidgeting with everything from the sheets to his hair. "I'm so tired, but I can't get any rest."

Brian looked to the nightstand next to him, glancing at the digital alarm clock set upon it. It read 3:43 in glowing red numbers. He rolled back over in bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling. Mentally he was wide awake, but physically he was drained.

"I'm so ph-physically exhausted," stuttered Brian to himself as he found himself rubbing his arms, restlessly, up and down. He let out another tired sigh as he set up in his bed, and just as he was about to resign himself to a very restless and uncomfortable night his door creaked open.

Brian's attention was focused completely on his new guest and for a minute his shakes even subsided. "Hey," greeted his guest as a mop of blond hair peeked around the edge of his door. "Didn't think you'd be asleep." The guest welcomed himself all the way into Brian's room. "My name's Daniel. I'm one of Dom's old friends."

"I-I'm Brian," stuttered Brian some more.

_Damn, these physical shakes are actually messing up my speech._ Brian thought angrily to himself.

"I wanted to properly introduce myself, but not while you and Dom were talking," continued Daniel as he pulled up a chair next to Brian's bed. "I saw Dom leave your room about one, but when I peeked in you were asleep and I didn't wanna bother you. But I had to check your IV and here you are, awake."

"Yeah," nodded Brian, still rubbing his arms. "Guess I should call you lucky."

"Naw," smile Daniel. "You can just call me Daniel. Or Danny if you prefer. I don't mind either way."

"Right."

"So, how are you feeling?"

"Like an army of ants are making their home under my skin," laughed Brian.

Daniel made a thoughtful noise as he nodded his head. "I thought that might be the case. I'm gonna give you a little something to help you sleep, okay?"

"That'd be wonderful," grinned Brian, relieved that Daniel knew what he needed and how to give him it. Daniel disappeared from Brian's room and returned a few minutes later with a glass of water in one hand and his other one was cupped.

"Here," said Daniel, holding his cupped hand out to Brian. Brian sat up slowly and held out a shaking hand to except whatever Daniel was offering him. Daniel dropped two little pills into his hand and then held out the glass of water next. "These things are strong enough to knock out a horse."

"I don't know if-f that's good for me or bad," stuttered Brian with a smile, but he took the glass that was offered to him as he threw the pills into his mouth, then took a sip of water from the glass.

"Don't worry, I went to medical school," boasted Daniel, a smile wide on his face. "Granted I didn't finish, but still…" He made a vague gesture with his hand and suddenly Brian was worried for his safety. "So how do you and Dom know each other? Dom told me a little but he was vague on details."

"Yeah? What'd he tell you?" Brian asked as he placed the glass aside and shifted under the sheets again.

_Damn shakes._

"Just you were an undercover cop who was working to turn him and his crew in, but then you risked your job and life to save him," explained Daniel. "So, I guess what I'm asking is, why'd you do that? Why'd you give up your life, a nice job at the bureau, and your freedom for Dom's?"

"Well, at first, I was going to turn him in, but then Dom welcomed me into his crew." Brian paused for a moment, thinking back to the first time he had met Dom. In that meeting, Dom had seen a young and overeager punk who was trying to prove his worth. And in that moment, Brian was a young and overeager punk who was trying to prove his worth, but at the time he was trying to prove it to his fellow cops. Now he was trying to prove it to Dom. "Into his family. Suddenly, I realized that Dom and I were more alike than I ever hoped to be with my colleagues in blue. Things just started to fall into place after that."

"I can see that." Daniel laughed and that's when Brian noticed his shakes had slowed down. His body felt heavy and suddenly he felt as if sleep wasn't just some far off concept, but actually within reach.

"What about you?" Asked Brian with a yawn. "How did you and Dom meet?"

"It was when I was in college, working at the bar across the street." Daniel, who had been leaning forward in his seat while Brian was talking, slowly leaned back into it. "Dom came in with Vince one night. Vince got hammered, picked a fight with these two dudes, and the next thing I knew I had broken glasses, table, chairs, and cops all over the place. Dom felt bad and he and Vince came back the next few days and helped me fix the place back up. And, to steal a line from you, things just started to fall into place after that."

Brian hummed in agreement, eyelids incredibly heavy all of the sudden. "Mia says that Dom pulls people into him, or something like that," he slurred, sounding drunk. "So, Dom's like a big magnet. A big, people magnet, yeah."

Daniel chuckled as Brian's words began to make less and less sense and his eyelids started to droop further and further down. "I think it's time I left. Goodnight Brian."

"What?" Asked Brian, suddenly, trying to snap himself awake. "Oh yeah! Goodnight Lucky."

Daniel laughed some more as he rose from his chair and left Brian's room. Closing the door behind him with a soft click, Daniel let out a tired sigh. He had wanted to talk to Brian alone to tell him what Dom was planning to do. Then maybe Brian could stop Dom. But he couldn't seem to get the courage to bring up the subject.

_Why? Why can't I do this one thing?_ Daniel asked himself, feeling like smashing his head into the nearest solid object. But instead he just sighed and walked back to his room.

He knew why he couldn't tell Brian. It was because Dom had asked him not to and Dom was his good friend. Daniel stopped in front of his door, realization hitting him.

_Dom is my friend and I am his. I know what I have to do now._

**A/N: The end is near… for this story. Yes the climactic end is approaching. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and as always thanks for reading.**

**Grammar mistakes drive me crazy, so if you spot any let me know so I can go crazy on them. Thank you!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hang on to your seats, this ride is starting to get fast… and deadly.**

**Warnings: Sexual scenes, implications, and innuendos ahead. Read at your own risk.**

**Special thanks to melissen, yes that it the question. I am happy to say more Dom/Brian moments ahead. Thanks for the review. 21JumpStreetMcQuaids, thanks for the review and, yeah, it's good to be back. It's good to have a breather from real life for a change ;). Rika100 thank you so much for the review, I hope that this story keeps up to your expectations and that in the end it will still be one of your favorites. Sckraut12 thanks for the review and for reading. Thanks DestinChild for the review. I'm glad you liked that chapter, but if you liked that make out scene you'll love what's in this chapter, and I know Sara seems a bit snoddy, but all will be explained. Thanks for reading! Here is the next chapter. Leon's Angel, thanks for the review and I hope you love this chapter. **

**And thanks to everyone who is still reading along!**

Chapter Fifteen -

The morning greeted Brian with the savory aroma of chicken broth. He cracked his eyes open and pulled the covers down from over his head, to see Dom with a bowl in one hand and a glass of orange juice in the other.

"Morning," greeted Dom with a small smile. "How are you today?"

Brian rolled over and looked at his clock. It was eleven am. "Better."

"Good. Are you willing to try some chicken noodle soup and orange juice?"

"At this point I'm willing to try an eat a horse whole and alive."

Dom chuckled as he moved closer to the bed. Brian pulled his mop of curly blond hair fully out from under the covers and sat up in his bed. Dom sighed contently when he saw the sleepy yet warm smile across Brian's face. "How'd you sleep last night?"

"Better after Lucky gave me those sleeping pills." Dom lifted a questioning eyebrow. Maybe Brian was more out of it than he thought. "Uh, Daniel. Yeah, Daniel. That's his name, right?"

"Daniel was here last night?" Dom instantly went on high alert. What had Daniel told Brian?

"Yeah, he came in and we talked a bit. Then I told him how I was feeling and he gave me something to help me sleep," Brian jabbered on, not noticing the intense look Dom was giving him as he took the bowl and spoon from the other man's hands. "I'm not sure I remember the whole conversation or not. I was really out of it. Those pills he gave me worked fast."

"What'd you two talk about?"

"You, mostly. How we met you and became friends with you. And I'm not sure, but I think I may have called you a big, people magnet. As I said before I was half asleep and woozy."

So Daniel hadn't said anything to Brian about him going out and trying to kill Camille. That was good.

"I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Me too," slurred Brian through a spoon full of broth and noodles that were in his mouth. He looked so much younger like that. Head full of blond curls sticking up every which way, eyes awake and vibrant- that electric blue that Dom loved so much -and slurping down noodles very loudly.

"You want some more or maybe you just wanna eat the bowl too?" Chuckled Dom when Brian was literarily licking up the last bits of broth out of the bottom of the bowl. Brian put the bowl down in his lap as he grinned up at Dom and, using the back of his hand, wiped the broth off his chin. "Didn't your mother ever teach you any manners?" Dom waved a napkin in front of Brian's face, which he took. "Use a napkin."

Brian apologized as he wiped his mouth with the napkin and then the back of his hand. "I just haven't been able to eat a lot lately. But now that I have those drugs out of my system I've got my appetite back."

"So I guess that's a yes on seconds then?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind." Brian held out his empty bowl to Dom.

"Not at all," Dom rose to his feet as he snatched the bowl from Brian's grip and went back into the kitchen. Brian busied himself with the glass of orange juice while he was away. "Here you are." Dom handed the now full bowl to Brian who took it gratefully and began to dig in anew. He acted like it was his first bowl instead of his second.

"So, when do we get out of here?" Asked Brian in between mouthfuls of soup. "Not that I don't love the whole being waited on hand and foot treatment, but I'm kinda anxious to get out of the states. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Dom's gut twisted in a sick way, but he didn't let it show on his face. "As soon as we get you all better we'll be on our way. Until then we'll be laying low here."

"It's not safe for us to stay here too long," protested Brian, the bowl of half eaten soup forgotten, momentarily, in his lap. "I can move now. I feel much better."

"It's okay," replied Dom, reaching out and brushing his knuckles against Brian's cheek. "We're safe here." He tried to give Brian a reassuring smile. He heard Brian swallow and watched as the younger man's hand reached up and grasped onto his. Dom felt sick again as he took a hold of Brian's hand, the one with needles and tubes running in and out of it. It was because of him that Brian was so weak and vulnerable, having to be hooked up to IVs to stay alive. He hadn't noticed that he had been squeezing Brian's hand that hard until Brian squeezed his hand back and he released his grip.

"It's gonna be okay Dom," reassured Brian, softly. His smile and eyes making Dom's gut twist even more in pain and longing. He couldn't help himself, he reached out with his other hand and cupped the back of Brian's head as he leaned forward and laid a gentle kiss on Brian's lips.

He heard Brian moan softly and his mouth opened, willingly, under Dom's ministrations. Tongues danced in slow motion. Heat and passion built up between the two of them. Wandering hands smoothed over soft flesh and hard muscles. Breaths came out in soft pants and long moans. Minutes felt like seconds and everything became a blur. Who's hands were where, who made that sound, and when had they both ended up on the bed?

Dom wanted to continue with what they were doing. He really did. But that sick feeling deep in his gut, the one that was making him feel guilty about not telling Brian about the bounties on their heads and how he was going after Camille, and one of them wasn't going to be able to walk away from the confrontation, was making it hard for Dom to continue. Suddenly, he broke the kiss and pulled away from Brian.

"I'm sorry. You're not ready for this," stated Dom, who was currently kneeling on the edge of the bed. He pulled away from Brian some more and got off of the bed.

"Wait," protested and pouted Brian. "I-I…" He couldn't find the words to make Dom stay. Sure he really wanted to continue making out with Dom, but at the same time that fear that grabs someone by the throat and makes them break out in a cold sweat and taste bile in the back of their mouths was gripping him. But he didn't want to feel that way with Dom. Never with Dom. "Please." It was the only thing he could find to say.

"I'm sorry." Dom looked at Brian with hurting eyes. "But now is not a good time."

When Brian heard those words it felt like his heart had clenched up and turned to ice. "Oh." was all he could say as he watched Dom give him a sad smile and tell him that he had to go. He watched Dom leave his room before he stared back down at the empty bowl in his lap, his appetite gone now.

Dom hoped that Brian would be alright, but there was something that he had to do. He'd never be able to love Brian the way he knew that the young man deserved until he did this. He left Brian's room, closing the door behind himself and walking into the kitchen. Daniel sat at the table, a manila envelope laying in front of him on the table, cup of coffee in his hand.

"Morning Dom," greeted Daniel blandly, not looking up from the coffee mug that was in his hand, on the table.

"Morning Daniel," slowly greeted back Dom. Whenever Daniel acted serious you could bet he had something important to say. "What's up?"

"I know I can't stop you." Dom had been previously moving toward the other man, but froze at his words. He sounded like he was leading up to something that Dom really wasn't going to like hearing. Daniel finally looked up from his cup of coffee and firmly up at Dom. "So I want to help you."

"No. It's too dangerous," replied Dom without missing a beat.

"But-!"

"No buts! You have a good life here. Don't waste it. Stay here, run your bar, marry that vet lady, have lots of kids, and live to die of old age." Dom saw Daniel blush when he mentioned Sara. He smiled to himself. "I saw the way you looked at her, and how you hung onto every word she said."

"But," continued to protest Daniel.

"Don't throw your life away on my account. I'm not worth it."

"Shouldn't I be able to decide that?" Daniel looked fierce now. "Because I know someone who has put your worth above his own life many times." Dom looked straight into Daniel's eyes, not backing down. "And I think he deserves to know the truth."

"Don't!"

"Then don't make me!"

The two stared each other down. Fire in their eyes and venom in their tones. They were both completely oblivious to the extra guest they had listening into their conversation.

Brian had stood in the doorway to the kitchen for a moment, empty bowl in his hand and IV tubes temporarily disconnected from the IV bags. When he heard Daniel and Dom arguing he ignored it, in fact, he was going to try and stop them. Then he had heard that Dom was keeping the truth from him. That truth of what? And why was it being kept from him?

Slowly, so as not to draw attention to himself, Brian gently placed one foot behind the other and backed away, ducking around a corner, but still keeping himself within ear shot.

"Please Daniel, I've lost so much already." Dom's voice had taken on a pleading tone. "I don't need to loose a friend."

"You'll loose more than that if you don't let me help you. And you'll loose Brian if you don't tell him the truth."

"I can't."

"Why not, Dom?"

"Because if I told him, he'd want to help and he's already been through enough. But he wouldn't see it that way and he'd try and follow me, and probably succeed, and get hurt." Dom looked at Daniel with pleading eyes. "I don't want him to get hurt anymore."

Daniel looked deep into Dom's eyes, anger and understanding warring against each other inside of him. "Darn you Dom," hissed Daniel, finally giving into the other man. "Fine. You don't have to tell Brian, but you still have to let me help you. I can get you information."

"Alright. But only information. Camille is mine and mine alone. Understand?"

"Perfectly."

Brian took in a deep breath and felt the grip on his bowl tighten. His chest was constricting on him in a most painful way. He was happy and sad and angry all at the same time. How was that even possible, he wondered. One minute he's elated with joy and warm fuzzy feelings over hearing Dom proclaim to someone else how special he was to him. And then the next, he was angry enough to smash something at the very same man. What was going on!?

_The emotional rollercoaster of my life._ Brian thought to himself. _Sh*t, I'm turning into a chick._ He ran a nervous hand through his hair. And to top everything off, his shakes were coming back. They weren't as bad as yesterday, but they were still there, a constant reminder of how weak he truly was and what had already happened to him. He felt a shiver quickly crawl down his spine, remembering how Camille and Vikul's hands used to run down his body. Calling the feeling unpleasant was an understatement.

He couldn't take this much longer. Checking to make sure the two other males were too busy in their own conversations to notice him, Brian snuck back into his own bedroom, not only shutting his door tightly, but also locking it.

"And you're sure about this?" Dom asked Daniel as the other man sighed for the umpteenth time that morning.

"Yes. I am sure," replied Daniel, giving Dom a deadpan look and being sure to say his words slowly and clearly because, obviously, the other fourteen times he had told him the same answer it didn't get into Dom's head.

Dom sighed as he scrubbed a hand down his tired face. They had been going over pages and pages of information for hours and hours. Dom was just getting tired with how much info they had, but how little it actual helped them. "Sorry," he apologized. "I know I must be aggravating. I don't mean to sound like you don't know what you're talking about. It's just…" Dom rubbed his face again, then his arms and then his jaw again. A nervous, agitated habit, Daniel wondered. "I want to be sure. No mistakes. You know?"

"Yeah, I understand. But you have to also understand that I didn't make any mistakes and now we need to plan our next step."

"I think I know what needs to be done next."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Dom reached over the table and picked up a discarded pen on the other side of it, before quickly scribbling down a name on a piece of paper. "I need you to get in contact with this man." Dom passed the piece of paper with the name on it to Daniel, who looked at it and Dom with a scrunched up brow and questioning eyes. "Set up a meeting with me and him.'

Daniel looked over the name and his eyes widened in recognition and realization. He finally understood what Dom was planning "Are you sure about this? I mean, you think we can trust him?"

"Not sure, but I hope so." Dom stretched as he leaned back in his chair. "But we can worry about that tomorrow. For now, how about dinner?"

Daniel chuckled as he stood up from his chair and stretched his own back. "Yeah, I could go for some food. But first I have to make a phone call to Sara and see when she'll be by with the rest of Brian's meds."

"Yeah, I should check on Bri too." Dom stood from his chair as Daniel walked by him, the blond fishing out his cell phone from his pants.

"Yeah, you should. And ask him if he likes spaghetti. I was thinking of making that for dinner."

"I'll do that," replied Dom as he walked out of the kitchen without giving Daniel so much as a backward glance. He stretched some more as he walked down the hall, wondering if Brian had been asleep this whole time. He hadn't checked on the younger man since that morning, but neither had Brian ever left his room.

Dom knocked two times when he came up to the closed door of Brian's bedroom. "Brian? You up?" He asked. There was no answer. "Bri?" He gripped the door knob and tried to turn it, but it wouldn't budge. "Brian!?" He felt panic slowly creeping through him as he jiggled the knob, furiously, pushing on the door at the same time. "Brian! Open up! Are you okay!?"

_That's it. I'm gonna break the damn thing down!_

Dom took a step back, turned his shoulder to the door as he firmly gripped the door knob and was about to bust the door open when he heard a click. It took him a second to register what he had just heard, but when he did he gave the knob another twist. This time it came open. He swung open the door and instantly his eyes were on Brian who was just again pulling the covers over his head in bed.

"Brian, are you okay?" Dom asked, an edge of panic still in his voice as that shot of adrenaline was still coursing through his veins, but also a wave of relief washed over him once he saw Brian.

"Fine," was Brian's muffled answer as his head was swallowed up by the fluffy comforter.

Although he was relieved to see that Brian was all in one piece and still there, Dom could tell something was wrong. So, he approached the bed with caution, taking in his surroundings. He noticed that Brian had pulled out his IV tubes again.

_Damn it, Brian. What is up with you?_

Dom sat down at the edge of the bed and looked to where he presumed would be Brian's head under the covers. "Bri, what's wrong?" Dom asked. He tried to keep his voice light and concerned. He was really concerned about Brian, but also agitated at how he was acting.

_The boy's moodier than a PMSing Mia._

When Dom got no reply, he gently took the edge of the comforter in hand and pulled it down until he was looking straight into glacier blue eyes. They were so intense and focused. And, for a minute, Dom was taken back by that stare. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just tired," sighed Brian as he looked down and rolled over, burying his head in his pillow again.

That was the final straw. Dom gripped Brian's shoulders and flipped the smaller man over onto his back, forcing him to look him in the eyes. "I know you've been through a lot and these drug with drawls aren't helping any, but," stated Dom as Brian glared, furiously, up at him, "you need to open up to me so that I can help you." Brian just snorted and turned his head to the side. Dom was hot and flustered with anger now as he pressed Brian harder into the mattress. "And what's that suppose to mean!?"

Brian looked back at Dom, his anger matching Dom's own. "You say I have to open up and be truthful to you, but you won't do the same for me. You're such a hypocrite!"

Dom's eyes widened for a minute as he realized that Brian knew about him going after Camille on his own. Dom loosened his grip on Brian, enough for the younger man to sit up on his elbows and sneer at Dom, their faces just inches apart. "Bri, I didn't…"

"Of course not." Spat Brian, but his sneer slowly started to vanish, his face taking on an almost passive expression. Almost. "I… I love you Dom."

Dom's jaw clenched tight. Words were lost to him in this moment. So many thoughts swirled through his head. They were like on a carousel, spinning around at the speed of light. But in this chaos of sounds and images, one thing stood out, prominently to him. In all this time. After all they had been through together. He had yet to tell Brian that he loved him. He always believed that actions spoke louder than words. He just presumed that Brian knew how he felt about him because of all he had done for the younger man. But, then again, they say words can bring down the walls that people build around them. That they can shatter the silence that threatens to consume them whole. And words can fight away the loneliness. So maybe, sometimes, words are what are needed more than action.

"Brian, I love you too," whispered Dom, feeling the last of his anger slip through him like sand through an hourglass.

Brian looked up at him with sad blue eyes, but a little happiness lay behind those oceanic blue eyes. And again, Dom was struck with awe at how beautiful Brian's eyes were, and how they seemed to change color with his moods. He reached up and cupped Brian's face, leaning down and kissing him lightly on the lips. "I'm sorry," he murmured against Brian's lips, eyes closed, but feeling Brian's unwavering stare nonetheless. He kissed him again, pulled away and murmured more apologies. "I'm sorry. I love you so much. I care about you so much. I just don't want anyone to hurt you ever again."

Dom felt Brian grip both sides of his face and he opened his eyes to look at Brian. But in the next second, Brian had wrapped his arms around his neck and had pulled Dom into a deep kiss. He let Brian guide him fully into the bed until he was on top of him, never once breaking the kiss, only deepening it.

From somewhere behind them, Dom heard a click, but didn't pay much attention to it. He had something more important to do at the moment. "Dom," whispered Brian when they broke apart. "What's going on? What are you going to do?"

"I'm going after Camille," answered Dom, without missing a beat. He should have known he could never lie to Brian.

"Then I'm going too."

Dom shook his head. "No."

"But-"

"I said no, Brian. This is why I didn't tell you in the first place, because I knew you'd want to come."

"So? You need back up."

"And I'll have it."

"Dom-"

"No, Brian." Dom fisted the sheets at the sides of Brian's head. "I lost you once and you got hurt. I won't loose you again."

Brian stared deep into Dom's eyes, seeing unbridled hurt and pleading in them. The last time he had seen that look was when Brian had been hurt in that car accident, right before the cops came and took Dom away. That seemed like a whole lifetime ago now.

"Okay." Was all Brian whispered back before leaning up and kissing Dom again, not giving him a chance to reply. "Just love me now."

Brian clung to Dom, kissing him like it was the last time he ever would. Because he never knew, it could be. At this thought Brian felt desperate. How could he convince Dom not to do this? Not to go after Camille, but to stay there with him.

Dom pulled away from Brian and the blond whined at the loss, but couldn't complain when Dom stripped off his T-shirt and started kissing Brian again. Brian felt Dom's large hands slip under his own shirt and he arched his back up, off the bed and into their sweet caress, wishing for more contact. His shirt slowly started to ride up until it bunched up under his armpits, but he paid it no mind as he slowly ground into Dom's groin, feeling Dom's own need.

Dom felt his breath catch in his throat when Brian ground into him, feeling his unashamed erection. But he was still hesitant. Should he really be doing this? Was Brian really ready for this? He didn't want to hurt Brian, but it was Brian who had told him to love him. He looked down at the man under him and felt Brian's hands slowly running up and down his stomach. He was waiting and watching Dom, just waiting to see what he'd do next. And Dom realized then what Brian needed.

Dom quickly pulled off Brian's shirt before throwing it off of the bed and kissing him again, running his own hands, slowly up and down his body. He felt Brian squirm under his touch, and he would have thought Brian was uncomfortable with it, if he hadn't been letting out a long string of moans while he was doing it. He broke their kiss to move down to Brian's neck, worshiping the soft flesh there with lips and teeth. Brian bucked up again and Dom groaned. The things Brian was making him feel were sinful, yet felt so good.

Dom moved down from Brian's neck and kissed his way down the younger man's chest all the way to his navel, hands gripped the hem of Brian's pants but did not move. "Is this okay?" Dom asked, looking up at Brian.

"Only if you come back up here and kiss me again," replied Brian, trying to give Dom one of his signature charming smiles.

"I think I can do that."

Dom slipped Brian's sweat pants down, underwear and all, until Brian was able to kick out of them, before moving back up the length of Brian's lean body and kissing him, fiercely, again. When they broke for air, Dom took his time to look over Brian's body that was laid out naked and vulnerable to him. He liked what he saw.

Brian squirmed again, this time nervous under Dom's scrutiny. Dom gave him a reassuring smile before leaning down and kissing him again while also taking a firm hold of his cock. Brian gasped at the sudden contact, but didn't shy away, so Dom continued. He felt Brian shudder through the kiss with every stroke and twist Dom gave him. And in the next minute, Brian's own hand was slipping under the waistband of his Dom's pants.

Brian broke away from the kiss. "It's unfair that only one of us is naked," panted Brian, hands gripping Dom's waistband now.

"Yes, but how far do you want this to go?" Asked Dom.

Brian hesitated for a moment, letting air pass through his parted lips in an effort to refill his starved lungs. "I don't know." Brian confessed. When he saw the look on Dom's face he continued. "But I know you would never hurt me."

Brian slipped his hand into Dom's pants once more and took a hold of Dom, giving him a gentle, teasing squeeze, loving how it made the other man shudder and gasp. Brian smiled and that was all it took to make Dom crumble.

Dom took Brian back in hand as he kissed his lips, then down his jaw, then slowly- very slowly -down his neck until he reached where neck joined shoulder, stopping there to give that space a little nip and lick. Brian shuddered again as his back arched up off of the bed and he ground himself into Dom's hand. "I-if," Brian stuttered as he tried to catch his breath. "you don't stop that I may not last long." Dom smirked against Brian's shoulder.

"I know," he told him.

Brian shuddered once more as Dom's hot breath grazed his shoulder. Dom had no idea how sexy he sounded, or looked right now. But the more Brian thought about it, Dom was sexy period. He slowly started stroking Dom's length and suddenly felt Dom cup his balls. That was it, that was what sent Brian over the edge. He came in Dom's hand and seeing white stars on the back of his eyelids. And in the next moment he felt Dom come too, with a shudder and a grunt, before the bed shook and there was a weight laying on his arm next to him.

Nothing could be heard except their heavy breathing as they lay next to each other in comfortable silence. Brian was about to turn and face Dom when he was suddenly scooped up into the other man's arms and pulled close to his chest.

"Dom, I-" started Brian, but was silenced when Dom shushed him as he pulled the sheet and comforter back over top of them.

"Go to sleep Brian," stated Dom, pulling Brian closer to him. "We'll talk in the morning."

Deciding not to ruin this moment, Brian just nodded and allowed Dom to hold him tight while he situated his head on Dom's chest and closed his eyes. "I love you Dom," whispered Brian as he drifted off to sleep.

Dom nuzzled his face into the top of Brian's head, enjoying the feel of Brian's soft curls rubbing against his face. "I love you too, Buster," murmured Dom to a now sleeping Brian. He was hating himself for what he was going to have to do. But in order to save Brian he was going to have to hurt him. "Forgive me." Dom laid a soft kiss to the top of Brian's head. He was still going to go after Camille. Without Brian.

He was slowly lulled to sleep by the sound of Brian's soft breathing. He found it soothing. A simple comfort that could not be replaced by anything else in the world.

**A/N: As always thanks for reading!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Sorry. Been sick lately, so I feel out of my usual funk. But enjoy!**

**Special thanks to sterdnert for the review, I hope this chapter is to your likings and that you'll still be following along. 3taz2, yes they are together and thanks for the review! RebiRabbit, you read the whole thing in one sitting!? To me, I take that as a compliment, so thank you! Arielsabik101, how could you forget!? Meanie! No, I'm just playing with you ;P Thanks for the reviews, please keep reading! Thanks to icis182 for the review. Glad you are enjoying my story! And thanks to Melikalilly, Rika100, and 21JumpStreetMcQuaids for so faithfully following along. I hope I haven't made your time a waste and that you still enjoy reading this story. Thank you all so much!**

**And thanks to everyone else who is still reading my story! You make me all smile!**

Chapter Sixteen -

The bar was noisy and packed with people. A lazy haze of cigarette smoke drifted above Dom's head as he sat with his back to a wall and his eyes never leaving the throng of people before him, along with the front door.

He continued to nurse the warm bottle of Corona in his hands as he waited for his guest to arrive. This place wouldn't have been his first pick of places to meet, but his guest had been very insistent about meeting in a very public place he knew well.

_Oh well,_ thought Dom as he took a swig from the bottle. _I guess that keeps us both from trying anything rash._

Dom kept his eyes trained on the door. He had been waiting for his _guest_ for half an hour already, although he was willing to wait longer, he really didn't want to. And just as he had finished his Corona and was about to order another, a familiar face walked into the bar. Dom caught the man's eye and the other man quickly made his way over to the corner booth Dom was seated at.

The other man was tall, muscular, but not quite as muscular as Dom, and had a shaved head of graying hair. He wore jeans and a T-shirt with a jacket on, and Dom could see the butt of a pistol peeking out from under the jacket. It was easily hid under his jacket, but Dom had a trained eye for identifying certain bulges in people's clothes.

"I have to say," said the man as he sat down across from Dom, "that I was surprised when I got a call to meet _you_- of all people -here."

"It's been a long time Marcus," greeted Dom, still cradling the empty Corona bottle between his hands.

"Yes it has, Dominic," agreed the man known as Marcus as he gave Dom a flashy grin. "When Daniel set up this meeting, I was unsure what to expect. And to be honest, now that I am here and seeing you, I still don't know what to expect. Maybe you'd be so kind as to enlighten me?"

Dom looked the other man up and down. He hadn't seen Marcus in over ten years, since he was just a young cop walking the beat. He had heard that a bullet to the gut and two surgeries had stopped that really quick and now he was a PI.

"You know about the bounty on my head right?" Asked Dom.

"Yeah," answered Marcus, leaning back in his chair and acting casual, and that scared Dom. He couldn't tell what Marcus was thinking. Whether he had already called Camille and let him know where Dom was or if he was willing to hear him out. "I may have overheard something."

"Well, that's what I wanna talk about. I wanna kill the man who put the bounty on my head." Marcus stared straight at Dom with unreadable eyes and Dom stared right back at him with equally unreadable eyes. "Will you help me?"

Brian woke slowly that morning, instantly sitting up and searching his empty room for someone who was no longer there. "Dom?" he called out. But the bathroom door was open, the place was quite, and no one answered him. "Damn it," he hissed as he threw off the covers on his bed and found his pants on the floor and slipped into them.

Dom must have snuck off while he was still asleep. He was going after Camille, and Brian knew it. He all but charged into the kitchen, startling Daniel when he came tumbling in. Tripping over the pant legs of his, too long, sweats, Brian gripped the doorframe before he fell over and landed head first into the tile floor.

Daniel spilt his coffee when Brian came rushing into the kitchen, cursing a little as some of the hot liquid spilt onto his hand. "Lucky!" Called Brian, obviously meaning Daniel. "I mean," Brian shook his head as he tried to remember the other man's name, "Daniel! Where's Dom!?"

"Well good morning to you too, Sleeping Beauty," mumbled Daniel as he moved to place his coffee on the counter and grab a towel off the stove.

"Dom. Where is he?" Questioned Brian again.

"Well aren't you just the pure essence of proper manners," said a familiar voice from across the kitchen. Brian turned to see who else was with them. And how had he missed them? "I believe it is polite to say good morning back when someone greets you," Sara replied, dryly, as she sipped on her own cup of coffee.

"Brian. You remember Sara, right?"

"Yeah, sure," replied Brian as he looked the only girl in the room up and down. "Little Miss Sunshine. How could I forget?"

"I wouldn't have been surprised if you forgot your own name," muttered Sara out loud, looking into her cup of coffee with a smirk.

Brian cut her a look, but before he could say anything Daniel interrupted him. "Sara's here to check up on you and Dom's away on business."

"Do you know where?" Brian stopped hanging off of the doorframe and stumbled his way to the kitchen table next to Sara. His legs weren't quite working the way he would have liked them to and he felt dizzy. He also didn't miss the way Sara was inspecting him out the corner of her eye.

"Not really. He had a lot of places to go today." Daniel had his back turned to Brian as he moved about the kitchen, looking for things and gathering things.

"Well," Brian huffed as he sat down next to Sara, but firmly ignoring her. He was just so dizzy. "Well, can you tell me the places he was supposed to be at today? The ones you know of?" He placed his elbow on the table then his forehead in his hand to try and stop the spinning of the room.

"Are you feeling dizzy and nauseous right now?" Asked Sara as she put down her coffee cup and turned in her seat to face Brian. Brian tilted his head to also look at her as she reached up and checked the pulse point at his neck.

"Wha-?" Began to ask Brian before he was quickly shushed by Sara as she looked down at the watch on her wrist, hand still poised on his throat.

"Heart rate normal." She commented. "Breathing seems normal. Can you tell me your full name?"

"Brian O'Connor," answered Brian, but looked at her strangely.

"And Brian can you tell me where you're at and what you're doing here?"

"I thought I was in Vegas. At Daniel's house. And I'm here because some crazy dude has been trying to kill Dom and me, and I am also suffering from withdrawal."

She then turned to stare at Daniel, neat, little pony tail whipping around her head with the action. "Cognition seems fine. But I'll do a full check up just to be sure." She was now addressing Daniel and acting as if Brian didn't even exist.

"I'm right here you know," muttered Brian, but he didn't much care at the moment. He really wished the room would stop spinning. Taking a deep breath he turned from Sara, lifted his head, and met Daniel's eye. "Where's Dom, Daniel?"

Daniel looked at him. He took in Brian's tired and fatigued face, and the hurt look in his eyes, before his shoulders sagged and he let out a long sigh. "I don't know," he replied to Brian. "I'm sorry, but I don't."

Everyone was quiet for a moment and Sara stayed, silently, out of the scene as the two men stared at each other. "You know he's going after Camille."

"Yeah."

"You have to tell me what he's planning on doing."

"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. He's not sharing his plans, even with me."

"Damn it Daniel! You have to help me!" Brian's voice cracked as he pleaded with Daniel. "If you don't-!" Brian wiped at his nose as his eyes welled up with tears. They hadn't fallen yet, but they were blurring his vision. He looked away from Daniel for a moment to blink away his tears as he rubbed at his nose again. He finally looked back at Daniel when he could see the other man more clearly. "If you don't he could die."

Daniel's hands gripped his mug tighter as he stared at Brian's face. It was so open. So vulnerable. So pleading. But what should he do? He honestly didn't know what Dom was planning, but he had a pretty good idea. Should he tell what he knew to Brian? But he had promised Dom that he wouldn't. And then, what good would it do Brian if he told him? With the condition he was in right now, he'd only be putting Brian in more danger. He didn't know Brian very well, but he knew Dom and he owed Dom a lot.

"Dom's not stupid," stated Daniel, his grip finally relaxing around his coffee mug. "He won't go into this blindly."

"But he needs me! I can-!"

"Enough!" Cut in Sara, sounding very agitated. "You make my job very difficult." She was addressing Brian directly now. "If you're just going to argue with Daniel all morning, at least let me check you over first so that I can leave and not listen to you two idiots quarrel."

Brian turned to her and gave her his best glare, but that was a bit difficult since she wouldn't stop spinning. "I appreciate all that you've done for me, but you have no idea what is going on here and should just butt out!"

"I'd love too! Just as soon as you shut up and let me check over you!"

The two glared daggers at each other for the longest time and suddenly it was Daniel who had faded into the back ground. This, Daniel could tell, was going to be a long day. And if Sara had it her way, it would be raining down brimstone and fire by the end of it.

Marcus stretched his back as he continued to listen to Dom and his _master plan_. It wasn't too bad actually. If they played everything right, they just might be able to pull it all off. Dom was repeating- for the umpteenth time -some minor details that Marcus had already taken in the first three times he had told them, but nodded his head like he was still listening anyways. No need to be rude.

When he had first gotten a call from Daniel the night previous, he was shocked, but when he heard what Daniel needed he was floored. Once upon a time, Dom, Daniel, Vince, and he all hung out. Not much, granted, considering at the time he was still a cop so new that he was still learning street names, but one bar fight and three beers later, they had become something close to, but not quite, like friends.

"So what do you think?" Asked Dom, breaking Marcus out of his thoughts. "You in?"

Marcus crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his seat, cocking his head to the side as he looked over at Dom. He just couldn't understand the man. "You do know that everything you have just told me is considered conspiracy to commit murder in the court of law, right? And that you are a wanted felon in… The whole U.S. actually." Dom was quiet. Marcus scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion at him, causing lines to form on his forehead. He was getting older. That meant graying hair, receding hair line, more wrinkles, and bad eyesight. But as his wife said, he aged gracefully. He supposed that was her way of saying he still looked good and was in good shape for a man his age. "What I really wanna know is why me?" Dom didn't say anything, just shrugged. "I mean, of all the people you could have chosen to help you with this, why choose the one man who is most likely to turn you over to the cops? You know my history. And quite frankly, we're not that close of friends. Heck, we may not even be able to even be considered friends. So why me?"

Dom placed his elbows on the table between them, looked from side to side before leaning over the table more, leaning closer to Marcus. "Because you're honest."

He had spoken his piece, answered every question, and even paid for the beers, by Dom's standards he was done here. He stood and grabbed his discarded jacket from off the back of his chair. "Do whatever you want with everything I've just told you. But let me know what you've decided by tomorrow night. You know how to contact me."

Dom slipped on his jacket and left the bar, pushing through crowds of horny teenagers and drunk bums.

It took long minutes of sharp words and fierce glares, but Sara finally managed to bend Brian to her will. He was currently sitting on his bed, looking like an upset child who had just been told he had to go to bed even though he insisted that he wasn't even tired yet.

"Sit up straight," commanded Sara as she placed on her stethoscope and began listening to Brian's breathing. "Take a deep breath in and hold it." The cold bell of the stethoscope caused goose bumps to form across Brian's skin. "Exhale." Brian did as he was told without protest. For now. "Your breathing sounds normal. Your heart rate is fine." Sara gave Brian a deadpan look as she dropped her stethoscope onto her lap. "But you look like someone went at you with a ball bat."

"Thank you Captain Obvious," replied Brian as he gave Sara a mocking salute. "Any more useless observations you'd like to make? Like, the sky is blue. Fish live underwater. And that you were actually adopted as a child, but your parents didn't have the heart to tell you that you were the spawn of Satan."

She didn't even blink. "I'm bursting at the seams with laughter. You just can't see it."

"I don't believe you're a doctor. You have terrible bedside manners."

"As you shouldn't." Sara made a big show of reaching over from were they sat on the bed and pulling up her bag and dropping it onto her lap. Brian looked at it, pensively. It read, "Feery Veterinary Clinic" across the side in bold, white letters.

"You're a vet?"

Sara looked down at her bag and answered, in a mock shocked voice, "Oh no! They spelt vegetarian wrong!"

Brian rolled his eyes. "Should have known. Only dogs would let you treat them."

"Most of the dogs have more manners than most humans, so that's really not an insult to me."

"What is with you!?" Sara quirked an eyebrow at Brian, seemingly unconcerned with what he had to say. "I have tried to be nothing but nice to you, but you continue to be this big prissy, know it all with her nose up in the air."

"Well, maybe I don't like being called up in the middle of the night and being told to come over and bring a stash of meds, and not tell anyone! Maybe I don't like having to sneak medications and syringes around my co-workers! Or maybe I don't like the fact that even when I leave the clinic with the meds, I still have to sneak around town, because if one of the bounty hunters learned where I'm going, not only would your life, but also mine and Daniel's, would be on the line!"

Brian blinked at Sara a few times. _What did she just say? _Brian thought to himself._ Did she just say something about bounty hunters?_

"Wh-what was that last part about again?" Asked Brian, brows scrunched up in confusion.

"What part? The part where you put everyone's lives in danger?" Asked Sara, mimicking the scrunched up brow look Brian had.

"About the bounty hunters."

"Yeah. You and Dom have every bounty hunter and meter maid in the city looking for you guys."

"What?"

Sara's eyes widened in realization. "Oh my… They didn't tell you, did they?"

"No, so why don't you tell me."

Sara looked to be mentally struggling with herself for a moment, trying to decide if she should say any more or not. She knew it really wasn't her place to say anything, but she had already opened her big mouth and there was no way of taking it back now. Might as well let Brian know what was going on from someone who would tell it to him as bluntly and clearly as they could.

"You know that guy that kidnapped you? Camille?" Asked Sara, but it was a rhetorical question. Seriously, how could Brian forget? "When he found out you and Dom had escaped, he put a bounty on both your heads."

"So he knows we're still in Vegas?"

"Apparently," shrugged Sara.

"Do you know how much he put on our heads?"

"No. But I overheard it was enough to tempt even a priest."

"Crap!" Brian hissed, more to himself than Sara, as he rubbed his temples. He could feel a headache coming on. So this was what Dom had been keeping from him.

"I think crap is an understatement for your predicament."

Sara leaned back in her chair and watched Brian as he went through some mild revelations. She kind of felt bad for the poor man. No one deserved to go through all the things that he had been put through, in her opinion. And maybe- just maybe -she could lighten up on the guy a bit. She wasn't really mad at Brian. She was actually more mad at Daniel. But don't ask why. Ever since they were kids, she blamed Daniel for everything. It wasn't logical, it was just how they were. Something would go wrong and Daniel would come crying to her and she'd have to fix it. Whether it was a broken, favorite toy or a broken person.

She sighed before reaching over and patting Brian on the shoulder. She hoped that was a reassuring gesture and not seen as something mocking or anything. "Listen Brian," she started, this time with a softer tone and a gentle rubbing motion to his shoulder. "I'm sure they didn't want to tell you because you already had enough to deal with. And I'm sure that Dom and Daniel are both working very hard on a way to get you two out of the states."

"That's not it," muttered Brian, looking at Sara. "I know they are, but… I just can't help worrying about him. You know?"

She sighed again, because she did know. Throughout her college years, Daniel had put her through quite a few scares, working at his very bar across the street.

"I don't know Dom too well," confessed Sara. "But I know Daniel, and he's a good, strong man. He will have Dom's back no matter what. And from what I can tell, Dom's no pushover either."

Brian gave Sara a small smile before shaking his head and hanging it in his hands. He let out a long groan before he took the palms of his hands and started to quickly rub circles into his temples with them. "I'm starting to get a headache."

"Yeah," agreed Sara with a nod of her head. "Hanging around Daniel too long will do that to you."

Brian laughed as he lifted his head to see Sara looking through her bag again. "So you and Daniel are… A couple? Um, dating or something?"

Sara turned back to Brian with a small, white bottle in one hand and a look that asked, 'Are you crazy?' on her face. "Daniel and me?" Asked Sara, like it was an unfathomable idea. "Please. I want to kill the man every time he calls me late at night. If you put us together, I'm sure he'd go missing within a week. And you'd find me on some tropical island sipping on a margarita and saying, 'Peace at last'." Brian laughed some more before accepting the bottle of pills Sara was handing to him and laying back on his bed. "These should help with the headache and you will no longer have to be hooked up to the IV, if you promise me you'll eat regularly and drink lots of fluids."

"Can do Doc," replied Brian with another fake salute.

"Yeah, yeah," mumbled Sara as she stood up from the bed and placed her equipment back into her bag. "I'll see you in a few days then. My number's on the fridge if you need me. Later."

But just as Sara had turned to leave the room, Brian stopped her. "Sara! Wait! Could we, perhaps, keep the fact that I know about the bounty on Dom and mine's head between us?" Sara quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing, instead she just nodded her head. "Thanks."

"Yeah, but you have to promise me something in return," stated Sara and it was Brian's turn to raise an eyebrow to her. "You have to promise to call me before you do anything stupid."

"I-"

"Don't even try to say you aren't going to. In some ways you're like Daniel, so I know you're already planning something outlandish." Brian said nothing, just clenched his jaw tight and turned away from Sara. "Oh, stop acting like an upset five year old." Sara turned back to the door and gripped the handle. "Just call me. Maybe I can be of some assistance." Shocked, Brian turned to look at her again. Had he heard her right? "Or maybe I could talk some sense into you before you go and get yourself killed."

With that Sara left Brian's room and Daniel's house, leaving Brian smiling in bed.

**A/N: What will Marcus decide? What Brian do? And what is Camille planning? Stayed tuned to find out!**

**Grammar mistakes!? I thought I put them all in a box under my bed! Some must have slipped out! Help me find them and I'll be very thankfully to you. Thanks!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Next few chapters will be coming up slowly. I'm currently going through a very stressful time and have very little time to write. On top of that, my allergies are making me sick and my eyes swell up. So please forgive me if I don't update for a few months.**

**Special thanks to sckraut12 for the review. Mia will be heard from again, yes, but that's more at the end. Rika100 thanks for the constant reviews. I'm glad you liked the last chapter! 21JumpStreetMcQuaids thanks for the review and I hope you like this next chapter. Sterdnert thanks for the review, and don't feel too bad about your assumptions about Sara, she did come off rude at first. I really do hope you enjoy this next chapter. Melikalilly thank you for loving my story! Livelygirl838 thanks for the review, it made my heart soar with pure joy when you said that I was good at writing. So thank you so much! Narakunohime thank you for the review and in this chapter you will find out what's going on with Camille. Selinaxxx thanks for the review and I'm so glad you love my story; it makes me so happy when my readers say that. So here is that next chapter you were waiting for! Thanks UponAtlas for the review! Thanks for the grammar help. I always laugh so hard at myself when someone points out my silly, little mistakes. ;P**

Chapter Seventeen - 

Vikul watched as his boss paced, impatiently, back and forth across the floor of the dingy motel room. He had been like that ever since Brian and Dom had escaped. And Vikul knew better than to interrupt the man. Although Camille was smaller than him, Camille was more intimidating than him.

As Camille paced back and forth in the small space, he reminded Vikul of some vicious, feral animal pacing the length of its cage, teeth bared and poised for an attack. In fact, now that Vikul thought about it, that was how Camille always seemed to him. Like a savage animal about to rip its prey to shreds. How unfortunate for him that he always felt like the prey when standing before Camille.

For days Camille had been practically tearing the city apart trying to locate the fleeing duo, but to no avail. Even Vikul had to admit, they had mad skills when it came to hiding. But it was making Camille antsy and that was unnerving to Vikul. He was so used to seeing his boss so calm and collected, even when in bursts of anger Camille always seemed in control. Now it was like his rage was slowly boiling over.

Camille stopped his pacing and moved over to the small desk that held a bunch of wrinkled papers and maps. Vikul had only known this man for a little while and knew less about him than was safe, but already he pledged complete loyalty to the man. When did this happen? When he first met Camille he wouldn't have trusted him as far as he could throw him. But in the course of a few months, he would now willingly do anything the man asked without question.

Vikul shifted his weight onto his other foot as he watched Camille's back that was hunched over the desk. Maybe he trusted the man so much because he knew how smart he was? Or maybe it was because he feared the man so much that he didn't want to face the repercussions of his disobedience. Either one he guessed. Both were true.

The big man rolled his shoulders and tried to loosen his neck. "Vikul!" Called Camille, suddenly, as he turned and looked back at the bigger man, catching his eye, which was no small feet considering he had one lazy eye and people never seemed to know quite where to look. It was the complete opposite with Camille; he stared straight at Vikul without hesitation. And Vikul never knew if Camille was looking him straight in the eyes or if he was looking Camille straight in his eyes. "Any news?"

"None yet," gruffly replied Vikul.

"Where could they be? I have every hospital, clinic, pharmacy, and drug dealer under my watch. Not to mention, every baddie and crooked cop in the city out looking for them. Where could they be hiding?" Vikul only hummed deep in his throat. "What am I missing?"

Vikul didn't know. But he was sure that it wouldn't be long before Camille figured it out. He was a very smart man after all.

Brian spent the rest of the day rotating from hanging out with Daniel in the kitchen to taking short naps. Dang he was tired. He didn't know if it was from the drugs or the whole ordeal, but then again, it could be a mixture of both.

It was around eleven o'clock at night when Dom finally came back. Daniel and Brian were lounging about in the small living area. Brian was spread out across the only couch and Daniel was seated on the floor in front of him, both had cards in their hands and on the floor in between them.

At the sound of the front door shutting and heavy boots walking across the hardwood floor, Brian turned around and looked up at Dom as he entered the living room, but Daniel was the one to first break the silence.

"Finally back?" He asked, but didn't look up from the cards in his hands. "Good. There's leftovers in the fridge. Help yourself to it."

"Thanks," mumbled Dom, glancing at Brian who glared back at him. It was obvious Brian was mad that he had gotten left out today and the tension was getting so thick in the room that Daniel swore he was going to suffocate on it.

Dom opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it after he thought better of it. Perhaps he should start off by apologizing? He took a deep breath and opened his mouth again, but was cut off by a sharp ringing noise.

Daniel finally looked up from his cards as the phone rang again. "I'll get that," he stated before he placed his cards face down on the ground and sprinted to the kitchen.

Then it was just Dom and Brian in the living area. "Brian, I'm…" Started Dom, finding it difficult to voice his words. Sorry was what he wanted to say, but it didn't seem right. He had a lot of things to apologize for in his life, but risking his life to save Brian's wasn't one of them. "I have to Brian."

Brian look furious again. "Yeah, but alone!?"

"Yes," Dom said firmly, and he said it in a tone that usually had other men shutting up. But not Brian.

"No!" Brian insisted. "You seem to forget who it was that was Camille's prisoner the longest. Who it was that was his personal toy!"

Dom didn't visibly flinch, but emotionally he felt like someone had taken a jackhammer to his gut. It stung. It stung a lot. "I don't want you getting hurt," whispered Dom.

"And I don't want you getting hurt either," stated Brian, voice slowly loosing its fiery edge. Those beautiful blue eyes turning soft in the glow of the lamp's light.

"I won't get hurt."

"You will if you try and take on Camille alone."

"I'm not going to take on Camille alone. I'll have Daniel and-" Dom cut himself off, because he didn't know yet if he would have Marcus. And wouldn't really know until push came to shove.

Just then Daniel came back into the room. "Dom," he said, voice serious and eyes sharp. "It's Marcus. He wants to talk to you."

Dom nodded and looked back at Brian who just waved him off and flopped back down onto the couch. Daniel sighed as he watch Dom walk into the kitchen to answer the phone and Brian grumble, angrily to himself on the couch. It was going to be a long night.

Dom picked up the receiver off the counter and answered with a gruff hello.

"Hey Dom," said a familiar voice on the other end. "I've thought a lot about your proposal."

"And?" Questioned Dom.

"I'm in. So when we gonna do this?"

Tomorrow was on the tip of Dom's tongue. He really wanted to do this as soon as possible so that he and Brian could get the heck out of dodge, but…

Dom walked back out into the hallway and glanced down it to where the living area was. He couldn't see the other two men, but he knew they were there.

"I'll have to call you tomorrow with the actual date," he told Marcus.

"Okay. We gonna need anything else you haven't told me?"

"Nope. You get the guns and I'll get the transportation."

"Alright then. Talk to you tomorrow."

"Yeah."

Dom hung up the phone and walked back into the living room. Brian was in the middle of gently throwing his hand full of cards at Daniel's face and calling him a cheater. Daniel just laughed.

"Hey!" Daniel objected. "I can't help it that you can't play."

"Oh, haha," mocked Brian with a roll of his eyes. "There's no way you can win sixteen games in a row without cheating!"

"There must be a way, considering I just did!"

"Oh so you're a cheater and a liar."

"Whatever dude," replied Daniel, playfully, as he scooped up the cards and placed them on the wore-out coffee table. "I'm going to bed. You can be a sore looser without me."

Daniel nodded, tersely, at Brian before standing and saying goodnight to Dom as he passed the taller man on his way out of the living room.

Brian pointedly did not look at Dom as the other man walked over to stand in front of him. "C'mon Buster," he said as he jerked his head. "Wanna go to bed?"

Brian sighed and finally looked up at Dom. "Yeah. You hungry?"

"Naw. I ate already."

Dom and Brian made their way back to Brian's room silently. Somehow it had been agreed upon that Brian's room was now _their_ room. Brian sat down on the bed as Dom slipped out of his boots and belt.

"Who was on the phone?" Brian asked as Dom turned away from him and placed his boots under a chair in the corner and laid his belt on top of it.

"A friend who's gonna help me take Camille down," answered Dom, honestly. He turned around and looked at Brian. Brian just held his gaze. It was futile to argue with Dom and Brian knew it. But that didn't mean he didn't want to. "Let's get some sleep."

Brian nodded his head as Dom slipped out of his jeans and then slipped under the covers. In the next second, the lights were out, throwing the room into complete darkness as Dom crawled into bed next to Brian. Dom desperately wanted to reach out to Brian. To pull him close and hold the smaller man in his arms all night. But he wasn't sure if Brian would let him with how angry the younger man seemed to be with him.

"Stop it Dom," Brian muttered in the dark. The blond's back was turned to him, but after Brian had spoken he rolled over to face Dom. Though it was pitch black in the room, Brian could imagine the confused look on Dom's face as he spoke.

"Stop what?" Asked Dom. "I'm not doing anything."

"Exactly. You're just laying over there stiff as a board," explained Brian as Dom tried to gauge where his face was in the dark. "When you should be trying to get closer to me."

"Didn't know if I was allowed to."

"You are. But that doesn't mean I'm not mad at you still."

"So it's like that is it?" Asked Dom, a light, teasing tone to his words as he slid closer to Brian, reaching out with his hands and touching warm skin.

"Yeah. It's like that," whispered back Brian as he too slid closer to Dom and let the other man wrap his strong arms around his frame.

The kiss they shared was slow, but full of emotion and passion, nonetheless. Dom felt the muscles in Brian's back slowly ease as he laid his palms flat over the warm flesh there. Apparently, Brian was much tenser than he appeared. But Dom knew that he could remedy that.

Camille spent the night sitting outside of his hotel room, encased in the glow from the multicolored neon lights of the city. Unlit cigarette hanging limply between his lips as he played with the lighter in his hands. He never used to smoke, but he picked up the habit in jail. There really was nothing else better to do while he was there. But this was the first time since he was out of jail that he had picked up a cigarette. Strange the things that boredom can drive a man to do.

Vikul was walking up the stares when he first spotted Camille sitting outside his motel room door. "Boss," he said in his usual gruff voice with a slight Russian accent. "You should try and get some sleep. It's late and you have to get up early in the morning."

"Why," started Camille, blankly staring off into the street ahead of him, the lighter's little flame coming to life and dying just as quickly every minute or so, "is it that I always get the short in of the stick on deals?"

Vikul raised a questioning eyebrow to his melancholy boss as Camille turned to stare vacantly at Vikul. Finally, Camille brought the lighter up to his cigarette and inhaled as the flame touched the end of the white cylinder. "I don't know," confessed Vikul as he watched Camille let a stream of gray smoke seep through his parted lips. "Perhaps God is trying to tell you something."

Camille let out a sharp laugh that sounded more like a viscious bark than anything as he shook his head and looked up at Vikul with a look that Vikul could not decipher. "I don't believe in God," he stated and for a moment they were both quiet, the loud city noises around them, flooding them, drowning out their words and their thoughts. Finally, Camille stood, stretched his back and went back into his motel room, leaving Vikul standing out in the night by himself.

Vikul watched from the corner of his eye as Camille disappeared inside his room, hushed voice speaking to himself as his eyes roamed over the city in front of him.

"That much is obvious."

**A/N: There it is. Next chapter - Dom sets his plan into motion and he and Camille have a long overdo reunion.**

**Gah… You have no idea how hard this chapter was to write with my allergies. My eyes are all puffy and itchy. So I expect lots of grammar mistakes in this one. So if you see any let me know. Thanks!**

**Thanks for reading as always and let me know what you think!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I thank you for your patience and for continuing to follow my story. I am sorry this took so long to write, but I recently had a death in the family of a close relative. I left the state for the funeral and when I returned the will to write was gone. I went through my grieving period. And while it still hurts when I think about him, I find peace knowing that he is in peace and no longer in any pain.**

**Special thanks to sckraut12 for the review. ^_^ I'm so glad you like my action scenes and tense moments, I tried so hard to balance all the emotions in this story. 21JumpStreetMcQuaids, thanks for the review and here is what happens next! Melikalilly, thanks for following along! And it always makes my day when something I do brings joy to someone else. ADB thanks for the review and your concern. Yeah, all the pollen and dust always kills me. I'm glad you are enjoying my story! Rika100, thanks for the review and, yeah, things are starting to heat up again. Thanks Livelygirl838. I smiled so stupidly when you said I was one of your fave authors. Your too sweet! Starfly thanks for the review, here's more! Constance Truggle thanks for the review, I hope to hear what you think of this story later. Hope it's still interesting or more so. And thank you power of darkness for the reviews, I hope to hear from you again.**

**Warning! Sex scene ahead!**

Chapter Eighteen -

Dom decided to spend much of the next day lazing about in bed. Well, as much as he could. He just wanted to spend as much time with Brian as he could. God only knew how his meeting with Camille would go down. Well, that's not completely true. He knew that when all this was said and done, only one of them would be able to walk away from the fight alive. He just didn't know which one of them that would be.

The clock read 11:24 am. Dom had been awake almost an hour now. He was content just watching Brian sleep, half curled up, half laying over him. The warm rays of the sun shone through the thin curtains that were over the window, casting the room in an orange and golden light. The city noises seemed to be somewhat muted today. The sound of yelling and car horns distant and faded.

Dom looked back down at the sleeping man in his arms. He absentmindedly ran his fingers through Brian's curls, enjoying the soft, feather like feel they had to them. The warm body next to him stirred and pressed closer to him, but didn't wake. Dom smiled to himself. Brian was so cute when he slept. At least, in Dom's opinion.

The bigger man thought about waking Brian so that they could eat and, more importantly, so that Dom could relieve his strained bladder. But after looking at Brian's sleeping face once more, he decided that fifteen more minutes couldn't hurt.

Vikul watched as Camille sifted through every piece of paper and article of clothes that he had found in the back of Dom's Charger. Camille had done this about four times already, just this morning. Obsessed was mildly putting it, Vikul thought as he continued to watch his boss.

This was getting dangerous and fast. He knew that there was no way for Dom or Brian to escape from the city without alerting Camille to where they were going. And _once_- because there was no doubt that Camille would catch them -Camille caught them, all hell would break loose. There would be blood spilt. And a lot of it.

Marcus jogged faster down the sidewalk. He just loved the sound his feet made as they thudded across the hard ground. Something about the steady rhythm just calmed him in a way that nothing else could.

He had left the house early that morning after having breakfast with his wife, like he usually did. But this morning as he was putting on his running shoes his wife had stopped him at the door. She still looked as beautiful as the day he met her twenty-five years ago at the coffee shop, even in her pink fuzzy slippers and oversized sleep shirt.

"Going out for a run?" She had asked him.

"Yeah," he smiled up at her. "Don't I every morning?"

"Yeah."

Marcus laughed a little bit as he looked over her tired and worried expression. He should have known that he couldn't hide anything from her. "What's wrong Sweetheart?" He asked her gently as he moved closer to her and placed a strong hand on her petite shoulder.

She looked up at him and sighed before turning her head and staring out the window, her slightly graying hair sparkling in the early morning sunlight. Even though he saw the gray hair, the wrinkles on her face, and that little extra weight around her stomach, he never thought of her as anything but absolutely beautiful. While her body aged, her spirit and mind would always remain that funny, lovely, spunky waitress he first met that refused to let him leave the coffee shop until she had tended to the small cut on his forehead, years ago. He would always love that girl.

"You work so hard to keep me happy, but…" She looked back at him, her eyes sparkling like a dancing flame. "Sometimes I worry about what exactly you do to get the things you believe will keep me happy." Marcus just smiled down at her, trying to communicate comfort and strength through his eyes. "And if you realize or not, that you are all I need to be happy."

He could only smile more at her words as he wrapped his arms around his wife and hugged her tight. Of course he knew she loved him the most in this world. Of course he knew she would follow him bare foot through Hell and back and still be happy, so long as they were together. She had told him as much over and over throughout their marriage, and proved it many times more.

"I know," he whispered to the top of her head. "And I know I've done some things that have made you stay up late at night and worry, but this time…" He pulled away from the love of his life to look her in the eyes. "This time, I'm doing this for a friend."

She nodded tersely as she looked up at her husband. "You always were a man of your word." She took a step back from him and brushed some non-existent lint from his shirt before looking back up at him. "Go do what you must."

Marcus breathed heavily as he jogged back up to his house. By now she'd be at work and normally he'd be on his next case stalking cheating husbands or finding a love one's secret bank account. But today all he had to do was wait for a phone call.

It was a clash of teeth and tongues as Dom and Brian came back together, a tangled mess of limbs and flying clothes as they desperately tried to get more skin on skin contact.

"Oh, God, Dom you're so hot," breathed out Brian, when they broke apart for air and to rid each other of their bothersome clothes.

Dom wasn't really in the talking mood and he let Brian know that with a low growl as he reached into the younger man's pants and took a firm grip of his dick, surprising Brian so much that he almost jumped as he let out a small moan.

"You're not too bad yourself," replied Dom with a sly smirk as he started stroking Brian's length, enjoying how the smaller man withered and rolled his head back in pleasure at Dom's ministrations.

Dom released Brian and leaned into him, nibbling lightly on Brian's long, pale neck as he gently guided Brian back down onto the bed. Dom loved how easily Brian went down, submitting to Dom's guiding hands. He especially loved how Brian rolled his head back to Dom, baring his neck to the bigger man. Brian may not have known it, but Dom took this as the ultimate form of submission.

Once Dom had Brian laid out on the bed, Brian ground his hardened dick into Dom's groin, trying to get some friction. Dom groaned loudly in pleasure. Both men weren't too overly concerned with how loud they were being, because that morning they had the whole house to themselves. Daniel was out securing fast cars for their getaway and would be gone all day. So they could afford to be as loud as they wanted and take it as slow as they wanted.

Brian was driving Dom insane. He wanted to feel Brian's naked body fully against him, squirming and wiggling in pleasure. He wanted to hear what sounds Brian would make while in the throws of passion. And what Brian would do and how he'd feel with Dom inside him. But Dom also didn't want to rush Brian into anything he wasn't ready for. It was strange. Dom knew that, for Brian, he'd wait an eternity.

Growing just a bit impatient, Brian began to work on the button to Dom's jeans, using what little brain power he still had available to undo the complex little thing. Geez, when had the button and zipper on a pair of jeans been so difficult? With a triumphant grin Brian was finally able to get the tricky mechanism undone, and he gladly reached inside them to find what he was searching for. Brian heard Dom gasp as he took hold of the other man.

_He's big,_ thought Brian, wetting his dried lips.

Dom leaned down and fiercely kissed Brian, practically sucking the breath right out of him. Dom's kisses were hot and needy, but that was exactly how Brian felt at the moment. Brian stopped his ministrations to tug at Dom's pants, making his desires clear without having to say a single word.

Dom broke away from Brian, panting harshly. "You sure?" He asked as he gazed down into Brian's beautiful blue eyes that had gone dark with lust.

"Positive," panted back Brian, meeting Dom's gaze straight on, no hesitation in his voice or in his actions.

"Okay," replied Dom, getting off of Brian and shucking off his jeans before pausing to stare over at Brian. Brian just gave him a perplexed look. "I'd rather not be the only one naked for this."

"Oh!" Stated Brian, suddenly, as realization struck him and he shimmied out of his own sweat pants, hesitating as he reached his boxers. In Brian's mind he kept seeing Vikul's wicked face or Camille's smug one, and it must have shown on his own face because the next thing Brian knew Dom's hand came to rest on his own that rested on the him of his undergarments.

"It's okay if you're not ready," whispered Dom, softly, reassuringly. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to. I just want to be here with you, okay?"

Brian looked up and into Dom's kind and understanding eyes and he swallowed, hard. Brian shook his head quickly. "No I want to do this," he replied. "I want you to be what I think about. Your touches, your hands, your lips on my body, instead of Vikul's or Camille's. I don't want to shy away from your touches. I want to meet them with my own."

To say Dom was taken back would be an understatement. Did Brian really feel that way about him? If he did, then Dom would gladly meet him half way.

Dom removed his hand from where it rested on top of Brian's in order to remove his own boxers, trying to inconspicuously watch Brian remove his boxers. He was slowly- whether to tease Dom because he knew he was watching or from nervousness, Dom wasn't sure -lowering his boxers down his long, lean legs till the cloth, noiselessly, hit the floor.

Dom turned back to Brian and watched as the younger man's Adam's apple bobbed up and down nervously. Dom wanted to say something comforting. Something reassuring and something that would put Brian at ease, but he had never been all that great with words. And now that he thought about it, he wasn't all that much of a romantic either. He never wrote sappy love poems, gave flowers or teddy bears. He supposed he never did those things because he wasn't like most normal romantics. No, while normal men gave chocolates and roses as a show of affection, Dom drag raced and hijacked semis. But this didn't seem to bother Brian. In fact, Dom doubted flowers and candies would work on Brian.

Using the type of grace more associated with a professional dancer than a hulking drag racer, Brian watched as Dom crawled easily over top of him. His steely gaze fixated on Brian like he was the only thing in the whole universe, and it sent a chill of excitement up Brian's spine.

Both men were still nervous. Scared of saying or doing the wrong thing and frightening the other away. And Brian knew that Dom was being very gentle with him, and for that he was very thankful. Brian, dancing between his fears and uncertainties, decided to test the water by reaching up and wrapping a shaky arm around Dom's neck and pulling him down closer to his face.

The first kiss was tentative, even though they had kissed before, this time seemed different. They tried it again, this time longer and with a little bit more force. Brian wrapped his other arm around Dom's neck and eagerly opened up his mouth to the older man as the kiss progressed. They seemed to have found their pace and were quickly picking up speed. Brian surprised even himself as he broke their kiss when their arousals first touched.

"Too fast?" Asked Dom, panting as he stared down at the younger man.

"No," panted back Brian, shaking his head as he gave Dom a shy smile. "Just getting used to all this."

"Okay," replied Dom with his own smile that said that they could stop whenever Brian wanted to, before Dom leaned back down and started kissing Brian again.

Brian found his hands wandering down Dom's body as their kiss intensified and the feel of their bodies rubbing together didn't startle him any longer. Dom groaned as Brian's hands rubbed gently down his sides, causing the bigger man to pull away from Brian's lips and stare hungrily down at the younger man.

"You have no idea how much I want you right now," rasped Dom, voice rough from lust.

"Oh yeah?" Challenged Brian, that playful, mischievous look returning to his eyes; the look that Dom had, until now, not known he had missed so much. "Well," Brian wet his lips and Dom's eyes were instantly drawn to the movement, "why don't you show me how much you want me. So, that way we'll both know." He punctuated this statement by slowly rolling his hips up into Dom's groin, making Dom groan and close his eyes in pleasure.

"You tease," growled out Dom, between clenched teeth as he opened his eyes to stare down at Brian. "But are you sure about this?"

"Only if it's you," answered Brian without missing a beat.

"Okay," was Dom's whispered reply before he leaned back down and slowly started trailing kisses up and down Brian's outstretched neck.

"Dom," whined Brian as he wrapped his long legs around Dom's waist.

"Eager, aren't we?" Chuckled Dom as he pulled away from Brian's lovely, pale neck. Brian just huffed out a breath of agitation and looked up at Dom with a slight pout on his face, but if asked he would deny it fervently. Dom shushed the younger man before unwinding the legs that were wrapped around him. "There'll be enough time for that later, but for now I just want to explore your body."

Brian's body grew red hot at Dom's words. Never had any of his previous lovers ever wanted to get to know Brian beyond the point of a pretty face and a warm body. But, then again, Dom wasn't like any other lover Brian had ever been with before.

Dom chuckled again, the vibration and sound sending another flush of heat over Brian's body. "Blushing like a bride on her wedding night, are we? And for me," teased Dom when he noticed the red color creeping up Brian's face.

"A-am not," replied Brian, coming down from his Dom's-laugh-induced high. Brian, feeling indignant, turned his face away from Dom. Dom chuckled some more before brushing some of Brian's long curls out of his eyes so that Dom could see Brian's baby blues better.

"You are so cute when you pout," stated Dom which made Brian snap back his head towards him.

"I am not pouting!" Denied Brian, fiercely. This only made Dom laugh more.

"Sure. Whatever you say."

Dom silenced Brian with a kiss before the younger man had a chance to argue. Reaching down, Dom took Brian's dick in hand and gave it a slight squeeze, earning a deep moan from Brian.

"Who's the tease now?" Breathed out Brian as he arched up into Dom's touch, loving the way Dom hungrily looked over his body.

Brian reached out and gently ran his hands down Dom's body. Lithe fingers grazed over sensitive nipples and harden muscles before they were replaced by a curious tongue. Dom halted his own explorations as Brian's tongue swirled gently around one of his tender nipples.

Dom's whole body quivered with pleasure and pulsated with need. As Brian moved from on nipple to the other, Dom briefly wondered when the younger man had turned the tables. Wasn't he the one who was supposed to be exploring the blonde's body and making him tremble in ecstasy and desire?

Dom let out a loud moan as Brian's talented hands and tongue slowly worked their way down his stomach, teasing the flesh here and there as they went. Dom knew that at this rate, he wouldn't last long, but something else was nagging at Dom but he couldn't figure out what. Between his lust and pleasure, Dom's mind was quickly turning into a cloudy muck of a place.

As Dom felt Brian reach his belly button, Dom stopped the younger man and pulled him up. "S-stop," stuttered Dom. "If you keep at what you are doing this will all be over too soon."

"It's okay," whispered Brian, his voice low and seductive. "Let me pleasure you."

And it was then, when Dom looked into Brian's eyes that he knew what was nagging him. "Brian," questioned Dom, "have you been with another man before?" Brian looked like he had been slapped and turned away from Dom. "I didn't mean to say- I mean I- It's just you…" A stuttered string of babbled, meaningless words came out before fading out altogether.

"Does that bother you?" Brian asked, dejected. He should have known. Why would Dom want what another man had already had? It was bad enough being touched by Camille and Vikul, but this was unbearable. Mainly because of how much Brian cared for Dom.

"No, it's not like that," stated Dom, cursing his tongue for being so stupid. "It was just you seemed experienced. Like you had done this before with a man." Dom's voice grew low and his eyes dark. "Was it with Camille? Did he…?"

"What!?" Asked Brian, whipping his head back around to stare at Dom. "No! He never- I mean, I would never let him…!" Brian gestured wildly, when the words wouldn't form. The dark edge that Dom's eyes held to them looked to fade as Brian explained. Brian let out a tired sigh before continuing. "I was in high school when I first realized I liked both guys and girls. And he was the first guy I had ever been with."

Dom was quiet and just stared down at Brian. "And how many guys have you been with since then?" Asked Dom after a few minutes of silence.

"Including you?" Answered Brian with his own question. "Just two."

Dom didn't know why that sent a warm feeling through his stomach, but it did. He leaned back down and kissed Brian tenderly. And they once again picked up where they had left off.

Brian kissed like he was a sinner at death's door and Dom was his salvation. And Dom clung to Brian like he was afraid that if he let go, Brian would vanish into thin air. From there, things moved from heated kisses, to heated touches, to even more heated thrusts of each other's bodies.

Breaking away from Brian for a minute, Dom reached into the nightstand next to the bed and pulled out the small tube of lube he had found earlier in the house. Dom tried not spend too much time thinking of why Daniel might have left it in their bathroom that morning. Breaking the seal, Dom opened the cap to the dispenser and applied some of the clear jell to his hand, generously coating his fingers.

"Came prepared, I see," teased Brian as he laid under Dom, panting heavily and skin glistening with a fine sheen of sweat.

Dom just grunted in reply as he pushed one finger deep inside Brian, pulling it slowly in and out to let Brian get used to the feeling. Brian arched and withered at the intrusion, strangely liking the feeling. Dom added another finger and began to stretch Brian till he was sure the younger man could take him. He then coated the slimy substance over his own dick, before gripping Brian's hips. And Brian spread his legs a little bit farther apart, allowing Dom to slide up closer to him.

"You sure about this?" Asked Dom, once again.

"Yes. Yes. Definitely," chanted Brian, impatiently, as he quivered in anticipation.

"Okay."

Dom was gentle as he slowly slid into Brian, careful not to hurt Brian too much, but he knew the younger man must be in a lot of pain. But for every inch deeper Dom went the more intense his pleasure became and the more stars he saw behind his eyes.

Dom went just a bit deeper and Brian tensed, something like a strangled cry escaping him. "Bri, you okay?" Asked Dom, halting his motion.

"Yeah," panted Brian, face scrunched up in pain and pleasure. "Just forgot what this felt like."

"Should I stop?"

"No, just give me a minute."

Dom waited till Brian's muscles relaxed around him and his breathing evened out before leaning down and kissing him briefly and pushing farther into him. This time Brian let out a small whimper as Dom was almost completely inside him.

Dom gently took Brian's own dick in his hand and slowly started to massage it, trying to bring a little pleasure along with the pain to Brian. After a few minutes, Brian was in a sea of mixed senses. Intense pain became intense pleasure. Sounds became physical objects that he could practically touch, and emotions strong enough to suffocate him.

With a long moan, Dom slid the rest of the way into Brian, not missing the way Brian's hands regularly clenched and unclenched around his biceps. After another minute of letting Brian adjust, Dom pulled out and gently slid back in. Dom did this several times over, each time picking up more speed, until he finally got the reaction from Brian he was waiting for.

Brian gasped as blinding pleasure took over his body as Dom hit his sweet spot. Brian let out a loud moan, arching up and into Dom's thrusts. Brian's eyes screwed tightly shut and his head flung back in pure ecstasy.

Dom lifted Brian's hips a little higher, adjusting himself to the right angle after finding Brian's sweet spot. And he thrust deeper and harder, loving Brian's pleasure filled cries and moans. Dom's name escaped Brian's lips like a small and precious prayer, and it drove Dom insane.

Brian just looked so beautiful like this, spread out and begging for Dom's touch, golden curls falling around his head like halo. "Dom," panted Brian as he felt that familiar tightness forming in his lower groin. At this rate, with Dom hitting his prostate with every thrust, Brian knew he wouldn't last long. "Dom."

At this point, Dom's thrusts started to become a little erratic and very fast paced. Brian could tell that Dom was close too.

As Brian climaxed, eyes tightly squeezed shut and head thrown back in that way he does when in pure rapture, Dom quickly pulled out of him, feeling his own release coming quickly upon him. He wasn't quite sure how Brian would feel if Dom came inside of him, especially since he didn't have a condom.

Barely seconds after Brian had come, Dom let the mind blowing bliss overtake him, suddenly feeling heavy and tired. His muscles quivered and ached as Dom tried to hold himself up so as not to crush Brian, but as he slowly came down from his euphoric high he felt his body giving out on him, and soon he found himself laying on top of a heavily panting and equally tired Brian.

Dom moved so that he wouldn't smother Brain, and instead wrapped his arms around him and pulled the smaller man closer to him. Brian, gratefully, snuggled closer to him and rested his head under Dom's chin, exhaustion taking over him as his eyelids became heavy and his body became boneless.

The warmth from the sunlight that still crept through the thin curtains, warmed the room and put both men into a sort of suspended state, where they felt as if nothing could hurt them, even if it was just for the moment. And, slowly, Dom too gave into the sleep that was pulling at his every fiber; Brian held snuggly in his arms.

**A/N: So, I know not a lot happens in this chapter except for smut, but I'm still trying to get back into the pace of writing after spending too much time just crying in my room. So please forgive me if this upsets you.**

**Grammar mistakes are possible I am only human and as always if you see one or two, let me know.**

**Thank you for reading, and you'd bring a smile to my face if you reviewed.**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Sorry about the long wait, but here it is, the next chapter. I hope that the fact that I've been working on the outline to another Dom/Brian fic, will keep you all from getting too mad at me for not updating in such a long time. **

**Special Thanks to Rika100, I hope you like this chapter too! Sckraut12 thanks for the review and I have continued! 21JumpStreetMcQuaids thanks for the update and here is the next chap for you, I hope you like it! Silly Shiro-Chan, I'm glad you liked it! Dom/Brian is such an underappreciated pairing, which really deserves more love, considering how many movies there are. Melikalilly, thanks. I am doing better now, and hopefully I will be able to pop out these last chapters faster now! Thanks so much for following along! among thieves, oh stop you, you made me blush with your flattery. Thank you so much! I hope you continue to enjoy this story. Livelygirl838, thank you so much. Yes, it hurt a lot- still does -but it gets better. And, yes, long smut, it was just how I felt writing it, haha! I hope you at least enjoyed it! BRM I'm so glad you feel that way! Than you for the review! Samuel Wheeler, thanks for the review, I hope to hear from you again!**

**And thanks to everyone who continues to read this story. Know that without you, none of this would have been possible. Keep the love alive my fellow Dom/Brian fans!**

Chapter Nineteen -

Daniel had just returned home when he heard Dom on the phone as he slipped through the front door. He locked the door behind himself as he slipped off his shoes and crept quietly into the kitchen. Dom merely gave him a side long glance as the younger man took a seat at the table.

"Yeah," said Dom into the receiver before he became quiet and listened to whatever the other person on the other end of the line was saying. "Okay. Good. I'll be here." Dom hung the phone up slowly before turning to face Daniel. "That was Marcus."

Daniel nodded. "I figured," he replied as he watched Dom walk over to him and take a seat across from him at the table. "Where's Brian?"

"Shower." Dom ran a tired hand over his head, stopping to rub at the back of his neck. "Marcus is going to get into contact with Camille tonight. He'll call us tomorrow when he knows where the meeting place will be. You get the cars?"

Daniel smirked as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back in his chair, eyes gleaming with pride. "Of course. They're in the bar parking lot. Wanna go see them?"

"Yeah." Dom stood and Daniel quickly followed, and in the next second both men had disappeared into the dark of the streets, lit only by the sharp glow of the early rising sun.

Walking as fast as he could Vikul made it to Camille's room in half the time it normally took. Standing tall in front of the door, the burly man gave two hard knocks to the door. "Who is it?" He heard Camille ask from behind the door, and he was sure that, at that very moment, his boss had a gun aimed at the door.

"It's me Boss," stated Vikul, accent rougher than usual that evening. "We have news."

In the blink of an eye the door swung open and there stood a wild-eyed Camille, pistol hanging limply at his side. "Have you found them?"

Vikul gave one rough nod of his head. "We got a tip from a PI of where they might be."

Vikul didn't know how it was possible, but Camille's eyes grew wider as a crazed smile overtook his face. "Well? What are you waiting for? Find out where they are hiding."

Pushing by his boss, Vikul maneuvered himself and Camille back into the shorter man's room. "The PI wants to be compensated for this information," stated Vikul as he shut the door behind himself and Camille.

"Fine," mumbled Camille, as he turned away from Vikul to walk over to his desk, dropping his pistol onto it. "How much does he want?"

"He wants to know how much you think this information is worth."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. He wants to negotiate."

Camille turned back to his faithful follower, his crazed smile gone, replaced by a look of curiosity and suspicion. "And what do you think, Vikul?"

"I think he either wants more than is reasonable. Or it's a trap."

"That's exactly the same way I feel."

A smirk came to his face as Camille turned to his window and pulled back the curtain just a crack to stare at the night world around him. "I'm assuming you can get in contact with this man?"

"Yes, Boss."

"Good. Do. Tell him that this information is worth fifty grand to me."

"I'll do that now." Vikul turned, but before he left, his boss had one more thing to say to him.

"And Vikul," Camille practically purred as the taller man stopped and turned back around to his boss who was still staring out the window. "Don't mess this up again."

Vikul gave a brisk nod of his head before sharply turning and leaving Camille's room.

Staring out the window, Camille rhythmically clenched and unclenched his fists. He was getting that tingly feeling in the tips of his fingers and toes again. That anxious feeling that settled like a heavy stone in the pit of his stomach.

"What are you planning Dom?" Whispered Camille to the darkness of his room, hot breath fogging up the glass in front of his face. He grinned again as he turned away from his window and made his way over to his suitcase.

He opened the bag up and sifted through the clothes till he found a thick manila envelope. Inside the envelope, Camille took out two pictures. The first one was of Dom and the second of Brian. "And how are you?" He asked the picture of Brian. Receiving no answer, Camille continued. "Such a shame too. 'Cause you were actually very pretty for a guy."

Daniel, Brian, and Dom all sat at Daniel's kitchen table, snacking on sandwiches and looking over maps and fake IDs. Brain leaned over the table and picked up one of the fake passports. On it was a picture of Dom, looking every bit as stern and intimidating as usual. Brian thumbed it nervously. It looked just like a real passport; at a glance and even holding it, one would never know it was a fake; but that wasn't what worried him. "Are you sure about this?" Asked Brian as he held out the passport to Daniel.

Daniel sighed as he accepted the offered document. "Honestly?" He carefully looked over the passport. "No, but it's your best shot at getting out of the States without alerting the FEDs."

"Yeah, but Camille already knows about these IDs," continued Brian as he picked up his passport and read his cover name out loud. "Brian Spencer and Dominic Bellini have already been made by Camille and his gang."

"Yes. Yes," agreed Daniel as he placed down the passport and looked over the files on his table. "But not by the FEDs. Your cover identities still hold water in the government's system. And it doesn't look like Camille has given your fake IDs to them yet, so these," Daniel pointed to Dom and Brian's fake passports, "are still your best chance of getting out of the country. Of course once you're out you'll need to get new identities again."

"Of course," agreed Dom as he leaned back in his chair, strong arms crossing over his chest as he contemplated their next move.

"Dom," stated Brian, and Dom turned his head to look at the younger man. Brian's hair had grown out long and curly- like the first time they had met -his bright blue eyes were a little hazy from lack of sleep and worry, and he fidgeted now more than he use to. "What are you thinking?"

_I'm thinking about all the crap that I drug you into_. Dom wanted to say, but kept it to himself. Instead, he told the two blonds about how he wanted to get into contact with Mia and see how she was doing.

"I don't think that would be a good idea at the moment," replied Daniel.

"I have to agree with Daniel," stated Brian. "Too many people, both FEDs and not, looking for us. We don't have much room for err."

"I know," sighed Dom. "I wasn't going to. I was just worrying about her."

A soft smile graced Brian's lips and something inside of Dom twisted like a sharp knife and suddenly he felt sick. "Hey, I understand," replied Brian as he reached out and grasped Dom's hand in a firm hold. "I'm worried about her too. But then I remember that she's a Toretto and can take care of herself. Hell, she already does a better job of taking care of herself and us than we do."

"Yeah," chuckled Dom, having to agree with Brian as he thought of his little sister. "I know you're right."

"Damn right, I'm right," smiled Brian as he took back his hand, and Dom didn't miss the slight tremor that went through the other man's hand as he did so.

_Oh, Brian._ Again Dom felt a pain deep inside of himself. It was almost like a little part of him was dying every time he saw Brian like this. Weak and vulnerable, but trying to seem so strong. Those drugs that Camille had been tube feeding him had done something awful to his body and now they were still causing terror over Brian's body and mind. Withdrawal was a b*tch. Dom would awake during the middle of the night to one of Brian's fits, even though the younger man tried so hard to pretend that everything was okay. And sometimes, to give Brian a bit of his dignity back, Dom would pretend he didn't know how bad he was suffering; how every day was a constant struggle with cravings and the shakes. _I'm sorry Brian. None of this should have ever happened to you. None of it._

Marcus sat in the dark of his car, third cup of coffee of the night in one hand and a crumpled newspaper in the other. The light from the outside streetlight cast the inside of his car in an orange-ish glow, and although there wasn't much light, it was enough for him to read by. He took a little sip from his cup as his eyes scanned over the paper. He had found the torn up thing under the passenger seat of his car earlier that night, and heck if he knew how it got there, but he was happy that he had it now, to help pass the time.

_Oh! _Marcus practically chimed to himself, happily. _There's a coupon for half off chicken breasts, and it hasn't expired yet! I'll keep that._

Marcus flipped the page over and continued to read, making mental notes on what coupons to later be cut out and used. He had just put down his coffee cup when the cell on his dash began to vibrate. His eyes cut up to the small pulsating thing, instantly knowing who it was.

He carefully reach out and picked up the phone from off the dash and quickly flipped it open before pressing it to his ear. "Hello?" Marcus answered.

"Hello," greeted back a deep, Russian accented voice. "Is this the man with the information that I seek?"

"That depends on how much you'd value my information," replied Marcus, slowly- carefully.

"Well, if your information is proven to be good," breathed Vikul, "then I'd be willing to offer you fifty grand."

Marcus made a low whistling noise into the phone, pretending to sound impressed. "Well, that's good. For a minute there, I was beginning to think I wasn't being fully appreciated. So when can we meet?"

"I was thinking we could do this all electronically. I'd wire the money to your bank account and you just call and tell me where they are."

"No. I prefer cash. Up front and personal."

There was a pause as Vikul thought over his options and Marcus waiting patiently for the other man to come around to his way of thinking. "Alright," Vikul finally agreed. "Then how would you like to do this?"

"First, I want to be paid in full, up front-"

"But what if your information is wrong," interjected Vikul. "That would seem like a bad investment on my part."

Marcus barked out a laugh before continuing. "My information is good. So, you'll pay me in full; in small, unmarked bills. We'll meet at a place and time of my choosing. Just me and you."

There was another pregnant pause over the line as Vikul thought long and hard. "Alright. I can do that-"

"Good!" Marcus interrupted, not letting Vikul finish speaking. "Have the cash ready quickly. I'll call back soon with the place to meet. Stay by the phone."

And with that, Marcus hung up his cell phone, never once letting the Russian get a word in edgewise. He let out a tired sigh as he ran a hand over his head, feeling the coarse stubble of his hair. He was getting too old for this. He turned and looked out his window. The city around him looked so bleak and dirty; so colorless and gloomy. He needed to get away.

He slipped on his seatbelt and easily turned the key in the ignition, listening to the car roar to life. He promised himself, that when this was all over with, he was going to take his wife on an overdue and extended vacation to some warm tropical island, where the time moved slower and the days were longer. Yeah, that sounded nice.

Marcus pulled away from the curb and drove up to a nearby dumpster before rolling his window down and chucking his prepaid cell phone into it. After he listened to the small, electronic thing hit the bottom with a resounding clank, he rolled up his window and began on his way home.

Vikul placed his phone down as he looked down at the man sitting in front of him who was busy typing away at two computers. "Well?" Vikul questioned.

"Well, I was able to triangulate his position," answered the short man with thick glasses as he typed a few more commands into one of the computers. "He's somewhere between these three towers." One of the computer screens showed a map of the city with a small section of the it outlined by a small triangle. "Let me just try and zero in on him." A few more key strokes and the map on the computer zoomed in closer and closer. "He seems to be in this alley," said the man as he pointed to an area on the screen.

"Can we continue to track him, even if he moves?" Asked Vikul as he flipped back open his phone.

"Oh yeah. Sure. As long as he keeps his cell phone on, I can track him anywhere."

"Good," gruffly replied Vikul as he punched a few numbers into his phone and began to bark out orders to the person on the other end. In the next few minutes, Vikul would have eyes on their mysterious PI and soon he'd know where Brian and Dom were too.

Vikul slipped his cell back into his jacket pocket as he walked out of the small computer room, a heavy sigh slipping past his lips when he entered the hall. Camille would be incredibly angry with him if he screwed this up again. It was his fault that the duo had escaped in the first place. And Camille had thrown a fit about that. That was why he had hired Vikul after all. To watch the duo and make sure that everything was locked up and secure. One simple job and he couldn't even do that.

He anticipated the wrath and venomous words that Camille spat at him. He even prepared himself for a physical fight. While he might have stood by and let Camille verbally abuse him- he did deserve it -he wasn't about to sit by and let Camille beat him to a pulp. But, strangely, Camille hadn't lifted one hand to him. Hadn't threatened his life in any manner or shown any signs of wanting to do any harm to Vikul. And Vikul found this very strange.

Vikul had been in the business of mercenary, drug runner, and personal bodyguard to the baddies of the world for a long time, and never in his life had he met anyone like Camille before. While he was clouded by his need for vengeance- that seemed ever growing -he wasn't power hungry or full of himself like Vikul's many previous bosses. Yes, he was, at times, cocky and arrogant, but for the most part he was pretty level-headed and intelligent. And Vikul greatly admired the man for that; for the way he held himself and his strength, both his physical strength and inner strength.

Camille was no punk off the street playing at being a bad guy. No, Camille was what bad guys matured into. And for that, Vikul feared him. Although Camille was physically smaller than him, secretly- or not so secretly to Camille, Vikul imagined -Vikul was more terrified of Camille than he had been of anyone in his entire life. Standing in front of Camille, Vikul always felt like he was staring down the barrel of a loaded gun; knowing that any minute it could go off and instantly kill you. The only other person to ever make Vikul feel this way had been his father, when he was eight years old and he had watched the drunk finish beating his mother and would then come after him and his sister.

Vikul clenched his fists at the unwanted memory as he forced out air through his nose. Walking down the hallway, he soon made it to the front door which he opened and stepped out into the cool night air of the city.

_No,_ thought Vikul to himself. _Camille is unlike anyone I have ever met before._

It was such a strange mixture of emotions that the other man made Vikul feel. Fear, respect, admiration… and annoyance. Why couldn't Camille see that the path he had chosen would only lead to self-destruction? Why couldn't he see that he was so much more than this? That he could be so much more than this, if only he'd let go of his anger and this ridiculous need for revenge. Vikul had seen many men go down this very road and they all ended the same way, and it was never good for those men.

Vikul stepped away from the door and leaned his back against the cold outer wall of the building, letting his head fall back against the stone and staring up into the night sky. _So strange_, he thought. Some part of him deep down wanted Camille to get his revenge and move on. To finally be at peace. It was strange because he had never cared about any of his other bosses like that. In fact, he couldn't have cared less if his previous bosses were happy or not, just so long as he got paid. Camille was different. Vikul had known that from the first moment they had met in that dingy hotel room so long ago.

Just as Vikul had gotten lost in his thoughts, the cell in his pocket began to ring. He quickly dug it out, flinging lint off it as he did so, and flipped it open. "Hello?" He answered when he had pressed it up to his ear.

"Bad news," stated the voice on the other end. Great. Just what he needed. "We found the phone in a dumpster in the alley. It's one of those prepaid, disposable phones that you can buy anywhere. Looks like the guy knew we were coming for him."

"Yeah, I imagine he did," replied Vikul as he began to rub at the bridge of his nose. "There's nothing else we can do at the moment, so just go home and wait for my call."

Vikul hung up the phone and then proceeded to just stare at it in his hand. He had to call Camille now and tell him what had happened, and he wasn't looking forward to that.

**A/N: As always thank you, thank you, thank you so much for putting up with me and following along with this story. **

**Grammar mistakes are possible, I usually don't notice mine until after I've published the story, so let me know if you see any. Thank you again!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Chapter Twenty part one and two mainly focuses on our villains. I'm sorry if this upsets some of you, but I'm trying to overcome some writer's block with this story. I know how I want it to end, but can't seem to get it from here to there. But thank you all for your patience and tolerance with me! You all are the best!**

**Special thanks to SlytherinQueen020 thanks for the review. It's good to hear from you again too! Rika100, for a minute there I was worried when you said you didn't like it, I was like, "OH NO! I'm a horrible writer!" But I'm glad you loved it instead ^_^! 21JumpStreetMcQuaids, thanks, it's good to be back! And lots of things happen. Lots of drama, action, and plot twists and turns to keep you guessing. Melikalilly thanks for the review and I hope I keep you smiling! amongthieves, thank you for your wonderful words! I am so happy! Your English seems very good to me! Livelygirl838 thank you for the review! And yes, I want to show even more of Vikul, so that I can develope his character more and I hope you continue to enjoy this story!**** Thanks to sKyLaR KnIgHt, thank you so much for the review! Hope I didn't put you off this story with my long waits in between updates. Thank you, emmiuscaa for the review! Here is the next chapter you were waiting for! Eris-R-Renee, thank you for taking the time to review my story! It makes me so happy! Thank you Priestess of Silvanus, I hope by the end of the story you will love it! Thanks brittany08forever, and sorry for the wait! Thank you Wolf112, you have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that someone(you) enjoys my story! Thank you so much! Rayne, I'm so glad you happened to wander upon my story, and I hope you continue to follow it to the end and let me hear your thoughts on the whole thing. Thank you! Thank you so much, Blaker1NINEer, it always warms my heart to hear that my work is good. I only hope I can keep up to your standards. And I agree, there isn't enough art or fantiction for this pairing. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! GaelicAngel, thank you so much for the review! It made me smile so hard! And really glad you liked the smut scene, I had hoped I had written that well after not having much practice with writing those scenes. And as for Brian doing something stupid... Well, I guess you'll just have to continue reading and find out. PleiadesWolfe, thanks for the review! And, yeah, we all know Vikul is secretly the smart one in the group(lol). I'm glad you continue to follow this story and review. Thank you so much!**

**And thank you to everyone who favorited this story and continues to put up with my slow updates. You all make this story possible! Thank you so much!**

Chapter Twenty Part One -

Fear and adrenaline pumped through his veins like liquid fire as he raced down the halls, his shoes smacking hard against the smooth cement causing the sound to echo loudly in the halls, bouncing off the walls and back at him. His lungs burned and his legs ached, he knew he wouldn't be able to keep running for long. Soon his legs would give out on him and soon the hallway would come to an end. There was no escaping this hell-hole. There never was.

Finally, the hall ended and he was soon racing into the cold embrace of metal bars. _No please!_ He begged as he gripped the bars tightly in his hands and started to uselessly pull at them. The footsteps that were quickly racing toward him got louder and louder, and began to move slower and slower. Tears stung his eyes as a few rolled down his cheeks as he continued to pull at the bars. _Please._

"Well, well, well," stated a deep voice from behind. "You didn't honestly think you could get away from me? Did you Camille?"

Camille turned sharply to see three tall, burly men slowly approaching him, their motions like circling sharks. He pressed his back into the cold bars behind him as he tried to distance himself from the three men as much as he could, but no matter how far away he got, it was never far enough; it was something that he would soon learn.

The three men laughed and suddenly Camille felt very small and afraid. He had been doing this for three years. This running; this hiding; feeling this complete and absolute fear consume him, day and night. He always put up as much of a fight as he could, but they were bigger and there was always more of them than him. And when no one would help you- no one -there wasn't much you could do.

Their biting laughter cut deep like glass ripping open his flesh and digging around into his insides. He would scream, but no one would hear him, or no one would care. Suddenly, in a fit of hysteria, Camille pushed himself off of the bars and swung wildly at the three laughing men, but they were like smoke. His fists would just glide through them, and there they'd stand, tall and laughing, their eyes glowing red like hot coals.

He felt the floor shift beneath his feet and soon he was tumbling to the ground, his tormentors tackling him from behind and easily pushing his face and arms down onto the cold floor. Camille heard a load crack as his face met the floor and a familiar warm feeling cover his face. He turned his head to the side and spat out the blood that had rushed into his mouth from his broken nose.

"Now be a good little b*tch and lay still," whispered the leader of the group into Camille's ear, his breath hot and rancid smelling as his hand traveled down the length of Camille's body and to the hem of his pants where it stopped. "If you do that, we'll make this quick." Camille clenched his fists together tightly, but there wasn't much else he could do as the leader sat on his back while the other two held down his arms and legs. "I don't even know why you try and run all the time." The man tightly gripped the hem of Camille's pants before swiftly yanking them and his underwear down in one motion. The man then leaned down and very quietly whispered into Camille's ear. "I own you. Now. And forever."

Camille shot out of bed with a jolt, completely jumping out of the motel bed and to his feet in one quick motion. The blankets tangled around his legs, causing him to stumble, but he never let himself fall to his feet. His heart raced and his body was covered in a cold sweat. He pulled viciously at the blankets trapping his feet until they came loose and he was able to stumble to the nearest wall and prop himself up against it with his shoulder as he took in big gulps of air.

_Oh God._ Thought Camille as he ran a shaky hand down one side of his face and his body slowly turned to face the wall, forehead coming to rest on the horrible green colored wallpaper. It had been awhile since he had dreamed about that day. The day he finally gave up. The day he stopped fighting…

Camille let out a shaky breath and for a moment wanted nothing more than to feel completely numb to the world. To completely disappear and be alone. Completely and utterly alone.

"But you're never alone Camille." A hand reached out of the darkness and gripped Camille by the back of the neck and pulled him back. Camille's eyes went wide and he was struck by a paralyzing fear. "Not when you belong to me."

Camille could only turn his eyes to stare into the darkness from where he heard the voice coming from, his shaking hands coming up to grip at the large hand that held onto his throat. But soon a face slowly began to emerge from the darkness. A dark skinned man with dark eyes that were sunken in and glazed over. Pale skin that was pulled tight across his face, showing the contours of his cheek bones and jaw line in fine detail. And blood dripped from his lips and nose.

"A-Adam," stuttered Camille as he struggled to get air.

"Now. And forever, Camille," said Adam as he lunged forward and bit Camille's ear.

Camille felt the scream rip through his throat as he struggled out of the strong grip that was holding him down by his arm. His eyes opened wide, but all he could see was endless darkness. He rolled and thrashed as he tried to get away from the person holding his arm and shoulder. He pulled back and tried his best to get off of the bed; with or without his arm.

"Let go!" Camille shouted. "Let go of me Adam! You're dead!"

"Boss!" He finally heard the other person yell, as the sound of rushing blood began to stop flooding his eardrums. "It's me! It's Vikul!"

Camille snapped his head back to look at the taller man, the white of his eyes practically glowing in the dark of the room. "Vikul?" He asked, voice shakier than he would have liked.

"Yeah," answered Vikul as he slowly released the death grip he had on his boss's shoulder and bicep. "You were practically screaming in your sleep, and when I tried to wake you up you'd just thrash around some more."

"Vikul?"

"Yeah Boss."

"What are you doing here?"

The two men just sat on the bed, staring at one another as Camille tried to catch his breath. The sound of Camille's heavy breathing and the blaring of distant car horns the only sounds that could be heard.

"I didn't think you'd be asleep," finally confessed Vikul. "I couldn't."

Camille continued to stare into the darkness where he assumed his companion's face to be, the image of Adam's dead and putrid face still swarming his mind, until he couldn't take it anymore. With a groan Camille leaned over the bed and turned on the lamp on the nightstand. The light from the lamp seemed to chase the darkness across the room and covered the two men in a blanket of golden rays.

Camille scrubbed a tired and, slightly, shaking hand down his face as he turned back to Vikul. The burly man was quietly sitting at the edge of the bed, looking down at his hands that were resting in his lap. He looked so… Peaceful like that, Camille thought, and it was strange to see such a big and ferocious man like that, especially after witnessing all the violence and anger he contained.

"So you thought you'd just stop by?" Asked Camille with a raised eyebrow, calmly, surprising both Vikul and himself.

"Yes." Vikul breathed out as he turned his head, his good eye looking straight at Camille.

"Well, as you could see, I was asleep."

"I thought you were awake. When I approached your door I could hear whining coming from within the room."

"Just a nightmare."

"A very intense one." Camille just waved him off as he leaned back against the wall at the head of the bed. They were quiet for another moment, Vikul's good eye sharp and scrutinizing as he looked over his boss. "Who's Adam?"

"Just an old cellmate," answered Camille, offhandedly, obviously not wanting to talk about the subject.

"And he's dead?"

Camille's eyes went sharp with warning, silently conveying to Vikul that he should drop the subject. But even with only one good eye, Vikul could give his own intense glare. Feeling tired and knowing that Vikul wouldn't drop the subject,- the man was stubborn like that. In fact, that was one of the reasons why Camille hired him -Camille sighed and closed his eyes as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. Suddenly, he was flooded with images of that day in the prison courtyard.

There was blood everywhere. Guards and prisoners shouting and screaming and punching each other. It was total chaos. Camille wanted nothing to do with it. He knew how this would end. Very badly. And when all the smoke had cleared it would just be a longer sentence for everyone involved. So, instead of trying to escape, like so may other inmates, Camille ducked under a metal picnic table that was cemented into the ground. He kept his head down and watched the disorder around him continue, when suddenly, he spotted an all too familiar figure emerge from the crowd and draw closer to where he was hiding.

"A riot had broken out in prison," began Camille as he opened his eyes and stared up at the dark ceiling. Vikul paid close attention to what his boss was telling him. "It was one of those things that never ended well for anyone involved, so I decided to sit it out by hiding under a table. I just wanted to wait the whole thing out. But then I saw him…"

Adam had his back to Camille as he fought off two other inmates that were attacking him from both sides. Camille felt no pity for his tormentor.

"Adam, the very pain(bane) of my existence, was fighting off two other inmates. And winning," Camille continued. "I shouldn't have been surprised. He was a tough dude, after all. But, I don't know, something inside of me just snapped." Camille closed his eyes again and leaned his head back against the wall, vividly remembering that day.

The two other inmates that were attacking Adam were slowly, but surely, getting their butts handed back to them as Adam whaled on them. And without even realizing it, Camille had risen from his hiding spot under the table and was slowly making his way over to the other man, whose back was still turned toward him.

"I don't remember how I got there, but the next thing I knew, I was standing directly behind Adam, his back open and unprotected towards me." Camille let out a tired sigh, eyes slowly opening again. "I was numb for a moment as I watched him throw punches in slow motion. One guy was dead weight at his feet; the other was barely able to stand under the onslaught. And then something just snapped inside of me and I went insane. I managed to take him down in one punch to the side of the head. Then I placed two kicks to the small of his back and watched as a spasm overtook his whole body. I think I broke his spine. I remember kicking him over onto his back so I could sit on his chest. I took his throat in my hands and squeezed." Camille brought his hands up, close together, and made a motion like he was choking someone. "And squeezed till I heard bones pop and felt flesh tear. And even when he laid dead and motionless under me, it still wasn't enough. But that was it." Camille lifted his head away from the wall and stared at Vikul, eyes narrow with a cruel gleam to them. "I killed him. And in the confusion and among the broken security cameras, no one even knew I did it."

There was a long moment of silence after Camille finished his story, the two men just staring intently at each other, and Camille thought that was the end of the conversation, but Vikul seemed to feel differently.

"But that wasn't the end of it," Vikul stated quietly. "Was it?"

Camille growled low in his throat, but more out of annoyance than anger at Vikul. He was just so tired. So physically and emotionally and mentally tired. He thought that with Adam's death he'd finally stop being terrorized by the man. That he'd finally be free and at peace. But he was wrong... very, very wrong.

"No," groaned Camille, "it wasn't."

And with tired and dead eyes he turned his head to look over at a very dark and still corner of the hotel room. Vikul also turned his head to look at what Camille was staring at, but there was nothing there. Nothing but dark space in a corner of a room. But Camille stared at it as if something, or someone, was staring back at him. Realization hit him like a punch to the gut, even causing him to gasp for a breath and, quickly, Vikul turned back to face his boss, but Camille's eyes were firmly set on the dark corner.

"I see him," whispered Camille, answering the question that was swirling around Vikul's head. "I see him everywhere and every day. I hear him too. Whispers throughout the day, but he screams at me at night. Constantly telling me he owns me and that he'll always own me, even in death." Camille snarled and his nails bit harshly into the skin of his palms as he clenched his fists tightly. "He's my own devil. My own walking nightmare. My own hell on earth." His eyes shut tightly as a wave of both panic and anger bubbled up within him. He had to wait a few minutes after that, for the emotions to pass before he could face Vikul again.

Vikul just continued to stare at his boss, watching as his face, drawn up tightwith anger, started to loosen and his hands began to relax. Camille opened his eyes and turned his gaze back to Vikul and suddenly the bigger man was consumed by it. Swallowed whole by the look in Camille's eyes; drowning in those dark pools. He had never seen such a look in Camille's eyes, and it was both a bit frightening and also a bit... Beautiful. They looked so deep... So enthralling. It was completely mesmerizing.

"You see him now, don't you?" Asked Vikul, the soft whisper of his voice making his Russian accent even stronger. "In the corner over there." Vikul tilted his head in the direction of where he spoke and all Camille could do was sigh in confirmation.

"I see him almost all the time, but especially when I'm alone or I'm not consumed by my work," stated Camille, turning his attention to his hands as he turned them so that his palms faced up. Droplets of blood had welled up to the surface of his skin from where his nails had cut into them.

"You're bleeding," stated Vikul, not worried, not alarmed, just stating a fact.

"Yes," answered Camille, unconcerned. The cuts weren't really all that deep and there was only a little bit of blood.

Camille went to wipe the blood off one hand on the blankets when his hand was suddenly caught in Vikul's larger one. "You should clean that properly," the taller man said. "Who knows what kind of parasites and bacteria are all over these sheets." Vikul released Camille's hand and moved to the bathroom, returning a moment later with a wet towel. "Tell me," Vikul paused for a moment to sit back down next to Camille on the bed and to take one of the smaller man's hands into his own. "What is... Adam doing now?"

Camille watched with dead eyes as Vikul wiped the blood off of his palms with the warm washrag. "Nothing. He's nothing more than a dark shadow in the corner. He usually is when other people are around. He's quiet then."

"He's quiet when other people are around?"

"Yes. And he fades into nothing more than a shadow in the background."

Vikul finished cleaning Camille's hands and, without realizing it, slowly started to run his calloused thumb up and down across the soft skin of the underside of Camille's wrist.

His hand was warm, Vikul noted, absentmindedly. _Alive._

"Does he ever go away completely?"

"Sometimes." Camille leaned back against the wall, body feeling heavy and tired and mind numb to the world. "Sometimes when people are around me and he knows I won't listen to him." Vikul nodded as Camille gently drew his hand out of Vikul's grasp and closed his eyes. "I'm tired, Vikul. And would like to go to sleep."

"Then sleep," replied Vikul as he stood, causing the bed to shift as his weight left it.

Camille just grunted and planned on doing just that as soon as the other man left, but what Camille heard weren't the sounds of footsteps leaving and a door closing, but that of something being scraped across a carpeted floor. Camille opened his eyes and turned to face Vikul who had pulled a chair out from under a table and moved it to set it next to Camille's bed.

"What are you doing Vikul?" Asked Camille, tiredly.

"I am going to sit here throughout the night, so that you may get some sleep," answered Vikul as he sat down in his chair and looked at Camille. "You said he doesn't bother you when other people are around, correct? So, while I am around he can not bother you, and you can get some sleep."

Camille blinked slowly at Vikul and, suddenly, something broke inside of him; like a dam bursting, and Camille was sitting up quickly in the bed, anger making his skin crawl.

"What do you think I am!? Some f*cking baby!?" Yelled Camille, and Vikul jumped back in his seat just a bit, but he would not be swayed by Camille's temper-tantrum. "I'm your f*cking employer! I pay you to do the jobs I TELL you to do!" Vikul sat silently in his chair in front of his _boss_, not budging. "I don't need to be watched over like some f*cking child with a nightmare!"

Vikul just blinked, but said nothing as he sat straight up in his chair and looked at some point on the wall behind Camille's head. Camille growled low and deep, and the sound sent shock waves of fear throughout Vikul, but he would not allow Camille to see how scared he was. He would just sit there, strong and silent as stone and no matter how much Camille beat on him or against him, he would remain there.

"F*ck you Vikul!" Camille shouted, spitting out the bigger man's name with distaste. "Who do you think you are!? You think you know me?! You know nothing about me, you f*cking b stard!"

Camille was getting so angry now that his face was getting red and his eyes began to water. Who did this big man think he was!? He didn't know who Camille was or what he'd been through! How dare he treat him with pity or sympathy! He never asked for any from anyone, and he sure as Hell wasn't going to ask for any from Vikul!

"Fine," Camille spat out between clenched teeth as he quickly turned away from Vikul and reached for the light next to his bed. "Do whatever the hell you want." And with that Camille switched off the light and laid back down in bed, back toward Vikul.

**A/N: Next Part focuses on Vikul.**

**Grammar mistakes? Yeah, I make a lot. So if you spot any let me know! Thank you!**


	21. Chapter 202

**A/N: I know, I know. Been way too long before I've updated. Well I hope to rectify that with future chapters. But another fast and future story has taken over my brain and begs me to write it.**

**Special thanks to Wolf112 thank you so much for the review! I'm so glad you read my last chapter, I know most people(you too) wanted to see Brian and Dom, and they didn't even make an appearance in the last chapter. Sorry about that, but you know how writer's block is. Rika100 thank you so much for the wonderful review! It made me so happy! Ever since the beginning of this story I had wanted to create a villain with depth and character, someone people hated and yet loved at the same time. Ever since the beginning of this story, I knew I would do a chapter solely through Camille's point of view. Thanks again for the review! mrsmarshallmathers1 Thank you for reviewing! And reading! I hope you also enjoy this next chapter! Infinite2000 thank you for taking the time to review! And here is your update! Ouiji, thank you for the review! I'm glad you agree with my choice to put off the sex for a bit. Please enjoy this next chapter! Thank you!**

**And thank you to everyone else still reading this story! Thank you so much!**

Chapter Twenty Part Two -

So Camille was seeing the ghost of his dead rapist and tormentor. Now everything was making more sense to Vikul. And now Vikul could better understand- even justify -Camille's lust for revenge; for his need to make everyone hurt as much as he'd been hurt. He also knew that the road Camille was headed on would end in nothing but death and destruction, for everyone involved. If Camille thought he would get out ahead in this whole ordeal, he was a damned fool.

_Damn you Camille_, Vikul thought to himself as he sank back into his chair and crossed his arms in front of his chest, letting out a long-suffering sigh as he did so.

As Vikul sat in the dark of the room and watched the steady rise and fall of Camille's chest as he slept on the bed, he was sent back to a place and time in his life that was just as dark and unsettling as this, and a time when he was just as angry and insane as Camille was.

Winter in St. Petersburg, Russia. The snow covering everything in thick inches of white ice. That's what Vikul remembered of his homeland. His last memory of his homeland was of his mother gripping his hand and tugging him, quite forcibly, along through the cold, dark streets of St. Petersburg. Vikul remembered looking up into his mother's face as she held tight to her swollen stomach and followed his father down the icy roads. Her golden locks were trapped under a fur hat and her rosy cheeks hidden behind a tightly wrapped scarf, but even with all those articles of clothes hiding most of her face, Vikul could still see the purple and green discoloring around her right eye.

He had to have been around eight years old when he and his parents had arrived in America, and nine when his baby sister, Emma, was born. And by age fourteen, Vikul had become Emma's sole caretaker, seeing as how their mother devoted her whole existence to pleasing their drunkard of a father and waiting for the next high.

_-Vikul At Age Fourteen-_

_The slap resounded throughout the whole house and, without a second thought, Vikul found himself rushing over to where Emma had been playing with a pile of blocks on the living room floor._

"_Come Flower," whispered Vikul as he scooped up his sister into his arms and walked down the hall and to his room, where he placed her down on his bed and closed his bedroom door before pulling his desk over to place in front of it._

_Emma looked up at her big brother as he walked over to his closet and pulled out a few of her favorite stuffed animals. A gray rabbit and a small, brown teddy bear that was missing one eye. Her big blue eyes lit up with joy as Vikul walked back over to the bed and her little hands reached out to grab the animals as Vikul smiled and handed them to her._

"_Suka!" The two heard being screamed outside the room and Vikul quickly went to stand between Emma and his door._

"_Please! Please!" They heard their mother scream and then another loud slap before a loud thump and then nothing._

_The deathly quiet was even more terrifying than the screams had been as Vikul and Emma waited quietly to hear what would happen next. The thudding of heavy footfalls and the creak of the wooden floors signaled that their father was on the move. But to where?_

_Vikul stood tall and watched his door carefully as he strained his ears to try and figure out where his father was headed. But before long he heard the fridge door open and instantly knew that their father would likely drink a few more beers and then pass out in his bedroom. Vikul let out a sigh as he turned and saw that Emma was staring up at him with tears in her eyes. _

"_Hey! Hey!" Vikul said quickly as he went and sat down next to her on the bed. "Don't cry. Don't cry. Big brother's here." He gave her a soft smile and she only looked up into his eyes, never once conflicted as to where to look. She always seemed to know where Vikul was looking. "Look!" Vikul reached out and took the bear from Emma's hand. "I am Juma!" Vikul closed his lazy eye and puffed out his cheeks to make them look like the puffy, stuffed cheeks of the teddy bear. He turned the bear's head to make it look like the bear was looking at his face before turning it back to look at Emma._

_She giggled and Vikul let out his breath and smiled. She squeezed the rabbit in her arms and looked up at Vikul as he then sucked in his cheeks and puckered his lips and began to act like a fish in a fish tank. She laughed and Vikul continued to do impressions until she fell asleep. He hated to see her cry. He hated to see her sad, hurt or hungry. But he swore, so long as he was around, she would never be any of those things._

_-Vikul At Age Seventeen-_

_Vikul waited outside the school and watched all the children file out and scanned the crowd for a familiar flash of gold. _

"_Vikul!" A happy and slightly squeaky voice yelled and Vikul's head snapped around to see a bunch of bouncing blond curls coming toward him. He smiled as the shortest girl in the crowd steam rolled into his legs and easily wrapped her arms tightly around them. "Look! Look!" Panted the small child as she held tight to her brother's legs with one arm and with the other tried to lift a piece of paper up to his face, but her arm's length only barely reached his stomach. "I made a hundred on my Word!"_

"_That's great!" Smiled Vikul as he reached down and took the offered piece of paper._

"_Great!?" She huffed as she released her brother's legs to stand in front of him and put her hands on her hips. "That's better than great! That's amazing! Incredible! Could be the most spectacular thing to happen this year!" Vikul chuckled at his sister's indignant face as she turned and started to march off. "Mrs. Harris says I'm the smartest girl in class! I'm the next I'mstein!"_

_Vikul couldn't help but laugh as he followed his sister. "Einstein."_

"_Einstein? Who's that?" Emma asked as Vikul walked up next to her. "He sounds like a square person anyways."_

"_A square," corrected Vikul._

"_What about a square?" Asked Emma as she looked up at her brother like he had asked a totally ridiculous question._

_Vikul could only shake his head and laugh at himself. "Never mind. So what else did you do at school today?"_

"_Math. I hate Math. And Timmy Brogan pulled my hair again." Timmy Brogan. Vikul knew that boy, and one of these days he may just have to walk Emma into school to put the fear of God and Vikul into that boy. "It's okay though. I know it's 'cause he secretly likes me, but doesn't know how to tell me that. He's a boy, after all, and boys aren't very bright."_

_Vikul chuckled some more. "No, we aren't," he agreed as they continued to walk down the street and around houses._

"_Yeah, but you are way smarter than most boys Vikul."_

"_Well thank you for saying so."_

"_You're welcome," chimed Emma as she turned to give Vikul a big and bright smile._

_They made it home shortly after that and Vikul unlocked the front door to let them in. As soon as the door was open, Emma dashed around her brother's legs and into the kitchen. "Whoa!" Called Vikul after the dashing and darting girl. "Watch it!" He turned, closed the door behind them, and locked it. A sudden crash from somewhere in the house made him jump. "Emma?" When he got no response he ran off in the direction he had last seen his sister go. "Emma!?"_

"_Vikul!" answered Emma as he entered the kitchen to see the blond standing, helplessly, in front of their unconscious mother who laid out on the floor with a broken bottle of some kind next to her._

"_Emma stay away from the glass!" He said as he quickly rushed over and picked up the girl and placed her on the counter so that she didn't step on any of the broken glass before bending down to check on their mother. She was unconscious and her face was laying in a small pile of her own vomit, but she was alive and not bleeding._

_Vikul sighed in both relief- that his mother was alive -and annoyance. "Emma go on up to my room and finish your homework while I clean up here."_

"_Is mom okay?" Emma asked as she continued to sit on the counter top._

"_She's fine, just sleeping."_

_Emma nodded and hopped down from the counter and quickly scurried up to Vikul's room._

_Damn woman, thought Vikul as he cleaned up the mess in the kitchen and put his mother to bed. Afterward, he marched up to his bedroom where Emma was seated at his desk finishing her homework. "Hey Flower, how's it going? You need any help before I head off to work?" Vikul asked with a smile._

"_No. I'm almost done. But I am getting hungry," answered Emma as she turned to her brother with her pencil flopping around in her petite hand._

"_I have some crackers in the closet but that's about it until I bring home dinner after work. Will you be okay until then? I can always ask Mrs. Penders if she has anything for you to snack on while I'm gone."_

"_No. I'll be fine until you get home. Will you be working late again?"_

"_Probably," answered Vikul with a sigh as he moved to place his school books down on his desk next to Emma's. "But I promise to be back before nine."_

"_Okay."_

_Vikul pulled out some clothes and other things from his drawers and placed them in his school bag. "Behave, okay? And finish your homework."_

"_Okay."_

_Vikul smiled as he walked over to his sister and bent down to place a light kiss to her forehead as she looked up at him with a smile of her own on her face. "I'll see you after work. Bye, Flower."_

"_Bye-bye Vicky." Emma was the only one in the world that was allowed to call him Vicky, and it never failed to put a smile on his face when she did._

_-7:56 PM-_

_The little diner that Vikul worked at was a dump. The food was stale and was more grease than actual food. Why anyone ate there was beyond Vikul, but he wasn't complaining. He really needed this job._

"_Vikul!" Yelled a short, fat man with a gray and balding head as Vikul was just pulling some trash out of a trash can._

"_Yes, Mr. Groves?" Answered Vikul as he stopped what he was doing to look up at his boss._

"_When you're finished with that, clock out and meet me in my office," Mr. Groves told Vikul as his beady little eyes looked over Vikul's long and lean body most appreciatively. "I got someone who wants to meet you."_

_Vikul swallowed his nerves as he nodded his head. He knew exactly what Mr. Groves wanted from him, and no doubt, this 'friend' of his boss's wanted the same thing from Vikul._

_Vikul only continued to take out the trash before washing up, clocking out, and making his way into his boss's office where the short and plump man was sitting there waiting for him with another man who was tall and lean like Vikul himself._

"_This him?" The stranger asked, as he eyed Vikul up and down. "Scrawny ain't he?" It was true. Vikul was very tall for his age, but also very boney, but it was because he gave all his food to his growing sister and sick mother. He always put his sister's needs before his own. Always. "Not very attractive either. Not with that bum eye of his." Vikul didn't even flinch. He was used to comments like that about his eye. The stranger stood and Vikul just stood there as the man circled him. "Although," the man drawled, "If you can look past the eye, he has quite a handsome face and such unusual hair." With that the man patted Vikul's very shortly cropped hair. Vikul always knew he had, what some had called, beautiful hair. The color was very unique, and while it would get darker as he got older, at the time it was a dark gray that turned the purest snow white in the right light._

"_I don't know about that," grunted Groves as he stuck a cigarette between his lips and searched for his lighter. "But he gives good head. So you wanna give 'im a try or what?"_

"_Sure, why not?" Grinned the stranger, and it was all teeth and squinted eyes and briefly Vikul was reminded of a snake. "How much?" Now he was addressing Vikul directly._

"_Fifty," answered Vikul without even blinking._

"_Isn't that a little high for just oral? I think I can get the same for twenty-five from one of the girls."_

"_Then go see them," answered Vikul as he turned a sharp glare toward the man._

"_Hey! Watch your mouth!" Yelled Groves. But he seemed to be the only one upset, as the stranger merely smiled down at Vikul._

"_Got a little bit of spirit in you," stated the man. "I like that." Vikul continued to glare at the stranger and the stranger only smiled wider. "So what if I wanted more? How much would that set me back?"_

_Vikul could only stare at the man. Why would he want more with Vikul? He said himself that he wasn't very attractive. "Why?"_

_The stranger threw his head back and laughed before looking back down at Vikul. "Because I like the defiance in your eyes," he stated before he leaned down and began to whisper directly into Vikul's ear. "And I'd like to break you." Vikul's eyes went wide as the man stood back up straight. "Sixteen hundred. Take it or leave it." And that surprised Vikul more than anything else. That was quite a bit of change. But was it a fair trade for what he was giving up? Vikul had never been all the way with a man before. He wasn't even sure he could do it. Oh sure, he knew how it worked, he just wasn't sure he could do it. The stranger saw his nervousness and smirked. "First time, huh?" Vikul's head snapped up and his jaw worked but no noise seemed to come out. The man laughed again. "Don't worry, I know exactly what to do."_

_Vikul took a deep breath and stood up straight. Sixteen hundred would go a long ways. He could pay this month's rent, electric and water. And finally get Emma a new pair of shoes she so desperately needed. So Vikul did the only thing he knew how. He swallowed his nerves and blankly asked, "Where?"_

"_The hotel down the street. Room 105."_

"_Fine."_

_-10:43 PM-_

_Vikul winced as he limped his way down the dark streets, gripping the crumpled bills tightly in his hand inside his jacket pocket. He would be home shortly, he knew, but he knew that with his new, slower pace it'd take him at least twenty extra minutes._

_His body ached. Everywhere. He knew it would be a painful experience, but this was different from what he imagined. The stranger was... Forceful. He liked his sex quick and rough with lots of biting and scratching. Vikul was no stranger to pain, but this... This was something different. Something he'd not like to do again unless he absolutely had to._

_Something deep in his chest ached as more shooting pain ran up his back as he took a step up a curb. He groaned, painfully, and clutched tighter to the money in his pocket. All his pain would soon be worth it. He hobbled faster down the sidewalk as he saw the familiar silhouette of his house in the dark._

_He opened the door and took careful, slow steps inside. He saw his father passed out on the living room couch and searched for signs of his mother. When he didn't see her, he assumed she was still passed out in the bedroom. He groaned again as he closed and locked the front door, dreading the walk to his room, but once he made it to his room he let out a sigh of gratitude. _

_He closed his door behind himself and walked over to his desk to slip the wrinkled bills into one of his school books, when he noticed something odd out of the corner of his eye. The covers to his bed were all thrown back to reveal an empty bed, which was odd considering Emma should have been asleep there already. Finally taking in his surroundings, Vikul turned and noticed that Emma was not there._

"_Emma," Vikul called as he opened his door and stuck his head out of it. "Emma?"_

_He took a clumsy step out of his room and walked down the hall and into the kitchen. There was nothing there but a few empty bottles of beer and a booklet of matches. For a breif moment, as he walked through the kitchen, Vikul wondered is she had went over to Mrs. Penders', their neighbor's, for dinner when Vikul didn't come home with any. He was just about to walk over to Mrs. Penders' when he happened to look down and see Juma lying on the floor in the corner of the room._

_Vikul's brows furrowed up in confusion as he bent down very slowly- and carefully -and picked up the small, one eyed bear. "What are you doing on the floor?" He whispered to himself._

_With a sudden rush of fear, Vikul spun on his heels as he looked around the room and dashed out of the kitchen, frantically screaming out Emma's name. He ran into the living room next, where his father lay out on the couch, passed out, but there was something odd about him today. His mother was no where in sight, but there was blood drying on his knuckles and wrists._

_With a shaking breath and trembling hands, Vikul took a few more steps further into the room, the small lamp in the corner casting a little light in the room and illuminating the small, unmoving body that lay half way behind the couch._

"_Oh God no!" Vikul choked as he rushed over to Emma, who lay motionless on the floor behind the couch, her face bloody and bruised. "Emma! Emma! Please wake up! Wake up!" He took her limp body in his arms and cradled her carefully. She was cold. Too cold. And there was blood on the back of her head and drying blood under her nose. The only thing he could think was that he needed to get help and fast. He quickly stood with her in his arms and ran next door to Mrs. Penders' and began to frantically bang on her door. She was the only one he knew who had a phone._

"_What is it!?" He heard the older woman yell from inside her house._

"_Mrs. Penders! It's me, Vikul! Emma's hurt really bad! Please she needs an ambulance!" Vikul cried, careful not to jar the girl in his arms. "Please Mrs. Penders call an ambulance!"_

_Tears welled up in his eyes when he got no reply from inside and, for a moment, he believed that the older woman hadn't believed him. He looked down at the the girl in his arms and he felt his already racing heart start to beat even faster, and with shaking hands he took a moment to check her over. He carefully placed his ear to her chest and tried to listen carefully. And for a small eternity he heard nothing, but then... there it was! The small flutter of an uneven heart beat as well as a shallow intake of breath. She was still alive!_

_The door in front of him quickly opened and Vikul jerked his head away from Emma's chest to stare up at the skinny, older lady in a long moomoo standing in front of him. "Dear Lord!" Proclaimed Mrs. Penders as she saw the state in which Emma was in in her brother's arms. "It was that b stard of a father wasn't it? Come in! Come in!"_

_But Vikul couldn't move; he couldn't even talk. He felt like he was in a bad dream and couldn't wake up. Later, they would tell them that he stood there with Emma in his arms until the ambulance had arrived and taken her away. Apparently, the beating that she had taken had put her into a coma... One that she never woke from again._

_He may not have remembered everything from that night, but there was one memory that would forever be engraved into his mind that nothing could get rid of._

_After the paramedics had taken Emma away and Mrs. Penders had rushed back inside her house to call the police,Vikul marched back over to his own house, the earlier aches and pains of his body, nothing more than background noise now._

_He walked through the open front door of his house and slowly into the kitchen, his mind in a haze, barely even realizing that he was even walking until he stopped in front of the big man snoring away on the couch. Vikul stood there for a moment longer, just blinking and breathing. But then he looked down and saw the blood on his father's hands and felt something explode inside him._

_Vikul lunged without thinking, an animal like snarl pushing past his teeth and chapped lips. His hands reached out and gripped tightly to the soft and vulnerable flesh of the creature he called his father's neck and began to squeeze. The creature's eyes snapped open suddenly and in the next second, Vikul was being flung across the room. Vikul's back hit the wall with an ominous smack, but he would not let a little thing like pain keep him down and he was back on his feet before the thing on the couch could get his own feet under itself._

_On a warpath, Vikul looked quickly around, but found nothing in the room but a little lamp. But he knew that anything could be made into a weapon. He reached for the metal and glass lamp, yanking its cord free from the wall before he marched over to the couch where the creature had finally rose to its feet and was now swaying side to side, and with one good swing to the head, the bigger man was down. And Vikul just kept swinging. And swinging. And didn't stop even when the thing's head was turned into nothing more than a puddle of blood and mush._

"_You b stard! I hate you! How could you!?" Vikul screamed at the puddle of brain pudding and blood as he kept on swinging. "She was just a little girl! What'd she ever do to you!? What!?"_

_Vikul screamed and yelled and cried and hit, but nothing ever made a difference. His arms burned and his lungs stung; his vision blurred and he could hear the screeching of sirens in the distance. As he looked around at the blooded room, he knew he had to get out of there. He had to get away before the police came. And, using the last of his strength, Vikul rose to his feet and ran out of that house._

Vikul sighed as the memory of that night played over and over in his head. So, yes, he understood very well what it meant to be _haunted_. He understood the need for revenge. The thirst to get even. But he also knew, that even when you did get _revenge_, it didn't make things right. It didn't fix what had been done like it had never happened. And it most certainly didn't stop the pain.

Camille grimaced in his sleep and Vikul could see the other man's whole body tense. It would seem Adam was still trying to torment him even with Vikul right there. Well Vikul couldn't let that happen. Vikul rose from his chair and leaned over the bed to gently run his hand up and down Camille's arm.

"Hush," he whispered. "Be still. Everything is alright. I am still right here."

Camille groaned in his sleep but soon the tension left his body and the frown lines on his face slowly smoothed out before he rolled onto his side and fell back into a peaceful sleep. Vikul sat back down in his seat and returned to his watch over the other man. Adam would not be able to hurt him as long as Vikul could do something about it.

**A/N: We all have demons from our pasts that we still fight with.**

**Thank you again to everyone still following along with this story and reviewing! Thank you so much! Your reviews keep this story alive!**


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